Narutouhou Good end theater
by All that is good51
Summary: Stories about Naruto with various girls from the Touhou verse. Um... warning? may contain possible heartbreak, and fluff... if that is possible. I recommend to read it directly, and please leave your review in the review box. And PM me if you have suggestions on who will be next. This series will be continued when I'm stuck at writing my other stories, so expect it as often.
1. Youmu

**This came up as a plot bunny originally. So I thought... why not try? It might help you guys wait for my other stories too. So, here is the deal with this. I am interested in One shots recently... and sorry to say that this is as best as i could do it. I know it's kind of rushed so please, forgive me if it is really bad. I'm a sucker to romance, never dated any girl and probably never will.**

**Not like I'm interested in knowing someone in the first place...**

**Anyway... let us just resume, no?**

* * *

"Where am I?"

Three words explain all. It explains what he is seeing, what he is feeling, and what is he doing. To be honest, he is not doing much, physically. But his mind… his mind is comprehending things that he hasn't before. A pair of blue azure eyes blinked repeatedly, staring into a wide field of… sand? Maybe. Anyway, he is staring into what seems to be a really long zen garden, his brain still thinking on what reaction he should pull. He raised his hand slowly, and he pulled it back down. He wants to scream idiot, but his mouth is not responding.

He stared around some more, seeing nothing but sand and- oh look, a house. And oh look, a tea set. And oh look- a sword is about to slice his head off.

Wait.

"WOOOAAAAH!" He evade the horizontal slice via matrix, seeing the long gleaming steel went past him. he jumped towards safety, drawing distance from his attacker. He gasped for breath, that attack was too sudden for his comfort. After a few more breathing, his eyes settled for a short and petite figure. He blinked, his breathing steadier. In front of him is a girl with a sword on her hand and another in a sheath that is strapped on her back. He blinked, his eyes landed on the girl's appeareance. She is young, maybe younger than him, and notably short. She has a short silver white hair, and a pair of cerulean blue eyes. She is dressed in a clothing of green and a white, the green being her vest and the white being the shirt underneath that vest.

He did not get the chance to speak, seeing that another strike was delivered. His hardened instincts allow him to dodge the strike with little difficulty. He continues to dodge swipes and strikes from the girl, doing so while analyzing her movements. The thought of the girl being a samurai crossed his mind. After all, who fights with a katana? Hell that Uchiha bastard fights with a freaking chokuto for God's sake. The male dodged a vertical slice that will separate him in half if connected. If. He counters by sweeping the girl in the leg, making her stumble.

He continues by grabbing her by the neck, and applying pressure that caused the girl to drop her sword. The girl struggled under the hold, he overpowers her in a matter of strength. There is nothing she could do. Eventually, after a few more struggling, the girl managed to break free by stepping on the man's foot. He yelped in pain, but that pain turned to adrenaline when a sword came for him from his right. He ducked under the attack, seeing that the girl is vulnerable, he lands a solid punch to the girl's stomach.

"Ack!" the girl stumbles backward, feeling the sudden strike connects. She ignores the pain and charges forward, her sword ready to cut the man. But to her surprise, her body was suddenly stopped by a pair of arms that wrapped around her stomach. She did not have the time to react as the pair of arms that are wrapping around her stomach lifts her to the air and roughly slams her down to the ground. She struggles to her feet, her eyes open groggily, seeing two identical faces. Her eyes blinked thrice, clones?

No matter, they are no match for her. she lifts her body from the ground, and her hand reached for the shorter sword on her back. She discards the sheath to the sidelines, now ready to face the man with both swords in hands. The first one to react was her, of course, the man and his clone did a good job on dodging. Both the man and his copy has no weapon to defend himself with or whatsoever, but he is trespassing, so that is not a reason. The white haired girl continues to strike at both male, but both are too good to dodge her attacks.

This is getting irritating for the girl, with a growl, the girl moves faster, slicing horizontally. To her happiness, one of the man was hit, but only to explode in a cloud of white smoke, obscuring her vision. That was a clone it seems… she lowers her sword, ready for anything that comes from outside. Her eyes darted from each possible entry point, she expects the man to come in barging and aiming at her with whatever attack he has at his disposal, but the silence is getting too tense to bear.

The smoke is so thick, that it is taking a long time to dissipate. She is still ready and her defense are held high, she can't afford to be hit by whatever surprise attack that the man will offer. But of course, that is impossible. She did not have the time to react much less jump, something, no doubt a hand, grabbed her ankle from under the ground. Her eyes widens in an instant, a shriek escaped her mouth, she unconsciously throws both swords away, and her body is being pulled underground. Eventually, she cannot feel the hand that is holding her leg, but she is now buried, her body at least. Her head is the only thing that is left, her body is unable to move or act. She struggles but eventually gives.

The smoke clears, showing the man that she was fighting with rising from the ground as if he is an undead. He dusts his clothes, freeing the fabric from dirt. After a while, his eyes landed on her head that seems to pops out from the ground. He crossed his arm, and approached her slowly.

She tries desperately to escape, but 'try' being the keyword. No matter how hard she moves, her body is stuck and won't move. She is feeling fear slowly invading her brain. She closed her eyes, preparing for something to happen, but to her confusion, nothing happened. She opened her eyes only to meet a grinning face of the man that she was fighting with before, he has a rather bright smile, and is feeling strangely cheerful.

"Heya there! Mind telling me what's your name?" he asked cheerfully, squatting down.

"Y-Youmu Konpaku." She uttered.

"Hm, good! Then, Youmu-chan, could you please tell me where am I at right now?"

"Huh?"

Wait, and 'chan'?

* * *

"I see… so it's like that."

"Hm, maybe…"

Seated in the living room of the mansion in the netherworld, Youmu Konpaku is in the room with a man known as Naruto Uzumaki. He stood at a height that made hers look short, he is young, and human. He is dressed in a clothing that she would consider… eye catching, the bright contrast of orange really gives off the feeling of someone who charges forward without any sort of thinking in battle. He has a wild spiky blonde hair that went down to his neck, his bangs are long enough for him to tie it with ribbons. His eyes are blue, a darker and brighter color than hers. And currently on his face, he is sporting a thinking pose and look.

She never thought that an outsider would appear anywhere near Hakugyokurou. Usually, from what she heard from a certain black white witch, outsiders would be magically spirited away into Gensokyo. But the place where they would end up in would usually be the many forests out there in Gensokyo. Regardless, she did commit a mistake of attacking him without any further thoughts on the matter. She did not even ask him of what his business is. She felt embarrass, if her mistress were to hear of this…

"I still can't believe it though…" she heard him started. She saw him scratching his chin, a seriously confused expression is on his face. "You said that this place is where the dead would reside… ironically, the last thing I remembered was me dying." He finished.

Youmu blinked. "Clearly, that is not possible. You are still human, spirits are like the ones that you saw back in the garden." A white puffy and wispy round thing floats near Youmu. "And this is my ghost half, as I've mentioned." Youmu eyes the man carefully. "Are you sure you are human?"

Naruto nodded. "I am, hell I'd freak out if I wasn't. But really... how did I end up here? You said that people were transported here magically, but for me to be transported here just when I was about to die… isn't that strange, or weird for that matter?" asked the blonde man to the white haired gardener.

Youmu did not what to answer. All she could do is shrugged her shoulders. "I am afraid I cannot give you a reason or any answer to your problem. Though I am sure that my master knows what is going on." She explained to Naruto.

Naruto perks up. "Then… where is your master?"

"She is away for the day. She will return tomorrow. I suppose that she would not mind a guest staying here without her knowing." She stood from her seated position. "Please follow me, I will show you your bedchamber. It is already late, and I am sure that you are tired." Said the gardener.

Youmu is right on one thing. He is tired. He doesn't know why. But he knows one thing, it is not because of the fight that he had with Youmu. This feeling of fatigue… it's greater than just his regular ones. Whatever that is, he's going to be better by waking up tomorrow morning. He stood from his seat, nodding. "Sure and thanks, I will properly say my thanks to your master tomorrow, believe it." He promised, a grin was offered to Youmu from him.

Youmu nodded. Her stoic demeanor still masking her face. "That you will." She lead the male towards the hallway, closing the door to the living room while at that. The two walked the hallway in silent, with Youmu leading the male. She is still curious as to why an outsider like him is here… usually, Reimu is the one who deals with these kinds of things, she's sure that she knows what to do. But regardless, Naruto is a guest of this place, and as a gardener and servant to her master, she will do her duties.

The walk comes to an end when they reached a certain door. Youmu slides open the door, opening the door, a rather spacious room is shown. There is a table and a closet, also a window to view what's outside. Overall, it looks like an inn, a high class inn. Naruto enters the room, knowing that it is common courtesy to do so. Youmu kneels outside of the room, still in the hallway. Naruto does the same, but he prefers sitting down.

"Then, if you need anything, I will be in the room next two room to this one." She bowed, Naruto doing a curt one. She closed the sliding door, leaving the man to himself to retire for the night.

Naruto stands on the spot, he stretched his limbs. "Yaawn~ I'm sleepy as heck, well, better get to sleep. I'm sure that tomorrow will be a better start to another day…" he's saying that because he has no idea on how the day today even started. All that he remembered was that he was about to die, then bam, he's suddenly outside in the garden, then he's fighting Youmu… it's weird, no matter how he would look at it. But after he heard Youmu's explanation, he began to calm down a little bit.

This place is Hakugyokurou, and the place out there is Gensokyo. He's honestly interested in what he could do out there, but he still has to meet Youmu's master tomorrow. Maybe… maybe he'll find out why he is here. Or maybe things will be a lot more complicated that he thought it might be. Who knows? After all, the world works in ways that is absolute mind breaking…

He yawns one last time. He walked over to the closet and pulls out the folded bed sheets. It's clean and good smelling, he spread the bed sheets on the floor neatly. The blonde rests his body on top of the bed sheets, sleep overtakes his entirety.

"_Don't go… please, Naruto-kun…"_

* * *

His eyes snapped open. Naruto felt a cold chill running up his spine. He slowly stood in a seated position. His eyes wanders the room, where the morning light has pierced its way inside his room. He took in a deep breath of air, before releasing it. Sleep was strangely short… maybe it's just him. But he has to wonder… who is the owner of the voice that spoke inside his head? He would call it a dream, but there wasn't even anything to see.

"Ugh…" he clutched his head, trying to clear things up. If this goes on, he might seriously get sick. And he doesn't want to trouble Youmu or her master at that…

Speaking of which…

"Oh yeah… I need to meet with Youmu's master today." He remembered that Youmu's master will return today. He shifts his legs, getting them ready to lift his weight out from bed. But… something is preventing him to do so.

"Hmm~" Naruto blinked. That was not his voice. His head slowly turns to face the source of the voice, and his blood runs cold at what he's seeing. It might be rude or impolite to say that what he's seeing is scary, in fact, it is not scary at all. He was really sure that he slept here last night, alone. Then… how on earth did a woman ended up inside the room. Naruto could not move. He is too busy on trying to figure out the safest way on how to get out of this situation.

First, there is a woman in his bed with him. from the looks of it, she is fast asleep even though it's morning.

Second, he doesn't know how in the nine hells did she get here.

And third… she's beautiful.

His blue eyes stared at the woman's visage. She is beautiful indeed. Her sleeping face, however, seems childlike. Her hair is the same color as the cherry blossom petals, remembering him of a certain someone that he knew, she appears young, maybe only a few years older than him. and even if she is lying down, he could easily tell that she is a few feet shorter than him. His eyes landed on the floor next to her, where he found a rather unique looking hat with a triangular paper with a swirl mark printed on it, is there. No doubt that the hat belongs to the woman.

As to the other reason why he is unable to move… it is because said woman is holding his right arm as if it was a pillow. He could feel the softness of her cheeks as she caressed it, rubbing her cheeks on his forehand. He could also feel her warm breathing coming out from her mouth, she is snoring softly. Naruto gulped down hard. He is in a situation that he has never been before in his entire life. But no matter how unique or critical or vital a situation can be, he is a ninja, it is in his nature to find a way to get rid or solve said situation.

But it seems that he won't be able to get rid of this kind of situation…

Though that is true, he still can use his skills. He looked around the room, scanning the room for an object that he could replace himself with. his eyes landed on a pillow near him. perfect. He performed the substitution technique, and he is glad that it is successful. His hand was replaced by the pillow, which is more than happy to replace his position. He carefully and slowly moves backwards, towards the door. Again, it is a suvvess, he managed to do it without waking the woman up. He opens the sliding door, still careful on not waking the woman up. After he is on the other side of the door, he slowly close the door, sighing in relief.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Eeeek!" he turned back in an instant, kunai raised. Naruto blinked. He is staring face to face to Youmu, who is having a confused expression her face. He blinked a few more times before releasing a sigh in relief. He pockets his kunai again, tapping his chest who was just about to burst from the shock he experienced. "Haah… I was so surprising…" he shook his head. "Anyway, I want to ask you something."

Youmu's turn to blink. "What is it?"

Naruto pointed a finger towards the room where he was sleeping at. "Is it normal for… a woman to join you in bed whenever you're asleep?" he asked. Naruto was about to slam his palm to his face, he needs to work on how to explain things better. Youmu must've got the wrong idea. "U-Um I mean…"

"Haaah…." Naruto stopped what he was going to say. Youmu is sighing…? "Is this woman currently sleeping inside has pink hair, and a hat?" asked the gardener to the male.

All Naruto could do was nod.

Without any other word, Youmu opens the door. She walked towards where the woman is sleeping. She knelt down next to sleeping woman and proceeds to tap her shoulders. Naruto could only watch as the scene is happening before his eyes. Youmu's method of waking the woman up did not work. Instead, the woman twists and turn from her sleep, getting deeper into sleep than before. Youmu sighed.

She taps the woman's shoulder again, but to no avail. He saw Youmu lean towards the woman, where her ears are at to be more exact. She is seemingly to whisper words to the woman's ears, words that Naruto could not pick up. But whatever words that Youmu said to the woman, it sent her awake and rushing towards him.

"BREAKFAST~!"

Or the kitchen. Still, he is in her way, so…

"GAH!"

And the woman did not even fall from the crash. There he was, on the ground, blinking while trying to figure out what on earth is happening. He saw a hand outstretched to him, a hand that belongs to Youmu. He accepted the gesture, lifting himself up with Youmu's help. He looked at the half human half ghost, his face seems to get what's happening.

"Let me guess… that was your master."

"Yes indeed."

Well, he's glad that he will get to know things sooner…

* * *

"Ufufu… I'm sorry about the thing earlier Whisker-kun."

"It's Naruto."

The woman, who is sitting across from him, is none other than the mistress to this house. She is also a ghost. A ghost. He for once has a fear of ghost, but it looks like that his phobia is going to grow dormant starting now. He stares at the woman, or what she is doing to be exact. He's a rather heavy eater, but this woman… she's eating breakfast, no scratch that, she is eating a buffet that could feed ten people at once. Hell maybe Chouji and her could do a one on one, which would be amusing to watch.

Her name is Yuyuko Saigyouji, the princess of the netherworld. She's dressed properly now, even if she did just went straight for the kitchen. Her choice of clothing is normal, it suits her looks in fact. He'd seen beautiful women, and he's not wrong to categorize Yuyuko on that level. Maybe she's higher than most of the models that he saw on Sai's drawing. Still, what do he know.

"I know~ so, Naruto-kun… I'm sure that you have a lot of question, right?~" she asked sing-songly, still eating after she's finished speaking.

Naruto nodded his head, getting right on the matter. "Well… for once, I would like to know why I am here. Youmu told me that the dead went here when they die, but… she said that I am not dead." He explained. "But ironically, the last thing I remember was about me dying." He revealed.

The pink haired ghost paused, she placed her rice bowl on the table. She placed a finger on the edge of her lips, making a seemingly cute thinking pose. "Hmm~ well, if it isn't much to ask, what caused your death?"

That question caused him off guard. Naruto stared blinkingly at Yuyuko. "Sorry?"

"I said, what caused your death? People died in many ways, but I'm curious. What caused your death?" the ghost princess clarifies. Or not. It seems that she is simply curious.

Naruto shifts uncomfortably. What he remembered wasn't exactly memorable. All that he remembers was about how he died and all the things that he did. He wasn't even sure who or what killed him. all that he know is that he died after something came up to him.

Naruto's silence was finally over. "Um… well, I can't exactly say if I died or what. But I remember someone… a voice that I'm familiar with, a voice that I recognize speaking to me. As in… well, you know…" he really got to learn how to explain things better. He looked at Yuyuko hopingly that she would understand him.

Thankfully, she did. "Hmm. I see…" Yuyuko hummed. "Well, let's just forget about that and stay here, okay~?"

What. The. Heck.

"What do you mean?! I really need to know why I'm here, I've been through near death situation, but this is the first time something like this happened to me!" he nearly shouted in outrage. He calmed down slowly, trying to talk things out. "Listen, Youmu told me that people gets magically spirited away into Gensokyo… but don't you think that it's kind of weird for me to be transported here when I'm about to die?"

Yuyuko gulped down a spoonful of rice. She shrugged. "I don't know…" she made a thinking pose. "Maybe you're just lucky? But enough of that." She placed her chopsticks on the table. Her face for once showing seriousness. "I do not know the reason as to why you are here… but I am willing to let you stay here until you figured out the reason for your spirited away, or your to be death for that matter." She nodded. "I'm sure that you will enjoy Gensokyo, after all, it is a fun place." She smiles.

Naruto sighed deeply. He really has no choice. Whether or not he died or is still alive is not a problem. Well, it is a problem. But it looks like being dead or alive in Gensokyo isn't as weird as he thought it might be. Still, he needs to find the reason for his transportation here in Gensokyo, or Hakugyokurou to be exact. He hopes that things will be better and right when he finally figures things out once and for all.

His head isn't doing a good job on thinking, he can't remember what he was doing before he got here, other than the fact that he was dying. It's strangely… scary. In a sense. Maybe he will be staying here for a very long time, or maybe he'll return home and find out why or what caused him to be here. Or maybe… he will find whoever did all of this in Gensokyo… he just hope that it isn't _that_ man. Naruto shudders.

"Umm… thank you for your offer Yuyuko-san… I will accept it." He said while bowing slightly.

Yuyuko giggled, taking up her chopsticks once more. "Ufufufu… it's fine. I will have Youmu show you around Gensokyo later, I'm sure she'll be happy to show a boy around." She leaned in closer. "Though you need to know that it's Youmu's first time, I expect you to be gentle." She winked, much to his confusion.

"Yes…?" Naruto could only nod slowly. This woman is weird…

Yuyuko giggled further. "Youmu~! Youmu~!" she began calling out for her gardener. Shortly later, the door to the dining room was opened, and it shows a stoic face Youmu. Yuyuko motions for the gardener to enter the room, to which she did. "Listen Youmu, after this, could you please show Naruto-kun around Gensokyo, I'm sure that he's going to be happy if you're the one showing him around.

"Why…?" was the thought that went along Naruto's head. Naruto swear that he saw Youmu's face glowing red for a little bit, maybe it was his eyes.

"I-I… yes, of course, Yuyuko-sama…" her voice came out strangely soft.

Yuyuko smiled, nodding. "Good~ then, Naruto-kun, you can leave anytime. Just be sure to be home before dinner. Or else I'll get angry and hungry!" she fake glare at the man.

Naruto did not know whether he should react to Yuyuko's statement or that he should just roll his eyes at her childish behavior. He chose none. Naruto smile as he stood up, he nods. "Okay, then…" his focus switched to Youmu. "Let's go right now!"

* * *

"Whoa… beautiful…"

He exited the gates that lead to Hakugyokurou, upon exiting, he marvel at the sight that was before him. He is standing on a dirt pathway, the gate behind him has disappeared, showing a long road that leads to somewhere in this place. Everything around him is nature. The trees, the wind, the grass and the clouds. As a sage, he could feel the nature energy that this place is giving off, and it's purer than the energy that he used back in Konoha. It's like comparing it to a still water and rain water.

The sun is above, giving its ever kind light to both the people and creature that roams this land. Azure eyes marveled as they bare the view into their owner's memories. Never in his life has he seen a place truly beautiful. To see this scenery is what he's hoping to make Konoha into someday. He promised to be Hokage, that is why, as soon as he returned, he will try his best to make Konoha and the entire elemental nation into a land that is as peaceful as this.

"Whoa…" the young teenager unconsciously repeated, gaining the attention of the white haired gardener.

Youmu stares at the male. Has he never seen trees before? Or is the place where he came from is so… different than Gensokyo? She would be lying if she said that she is not interested in knowing more about the man. Not only because of the fact that she lost to him, but she is curious for the fact that he fought with such joy in his face. Yesterday, when the two of them fought, she saw him having a happy expression on his face, an expression that someone would wear when they are enjoying what they're doing.

How can one fought like that? She was seriously going to kill him yesterday. Yet he is facing her as if she is his… sparring partner in a sense. It's almost as if he is used to face fights that could potentially injure or even kill him. Naruto Uzumaki is strange man… she hopes to know more from what she could know about this man.

"Youmu-chan, hello?~ Youmu~"

The blonde boy's call snapped Youmu out of her thoughts, she blinked and straightened her posture at being called by the male. "What is it?" she asked Naruto.

Naruto grinned, his azure orbs sparkling underneath the sun's radiance. "C'mon! I bet this place has a lot of things to offer, so where should we go?" he's really interested in exploring this area. If he is going to stay in this place… then it's better if he knows where he's living. And, not to mention, he's the kind of guy that could not stay still and sit. So he'll go exploring in the end.

Youmu managed a thinking pose, drifting off to silence. She could show him around Gensokyo, but he is still a guest to her master's house, so any harm must not befall him. Then that leaves off most of the place in Gensokyo. She could start with the Human Village, and she's sure that the teacher there could help him more than she could. But from there, where should they go next? Reimu's shrine is a good place to continue, and maybe she will show him the Misty Lake. Though she needs to be careful on the later place, fairies are annoying after all.

But that brought up another problem… something tells her that Naruto can't fly. All of the places that she thought are still approachable with walking, but it will take a long time. And Naruto's heavier than her, she could not last long enough to carry him all the way through the entire trip. After the long moment of thinking, Youmu finally answers. "I know the first place that we could visit. The Human Village. Though it's quite far from where we are right now, are you sure that you could keep up?" she asks, not meaning the slightest bit of offense.

Naruto jabbed his chest with his thumb, the grin has seemingly grew wider and brighter. "Don't worry, of course I can. Believe it!"

Youmu simply nodded. She turned to set off, turning her head to look at the Shinobi. "Then, shall we go?"

"Um!"

The two kicked the dirt, running through the path.

* * *

"Wow! This place is full of people!" exclaimed the blonde haired boy as he awed at the busy sight that is the human village. He knew that Konoha is busy, but this place… this is Iwa and Konoha combined when they both have discount on every single thing at the market! There are various shops, from food to trinkets, there are also food stands and other sorts of stands that sell items like toys, clothes, trinkets, pots and other stuffs. It has been so long since he'd seen this kind of scenery.

The people. The kids, the adults, the elderly… this place is a huge community. And Youmu was not lying when she said that this place is far from where they were before. It took them, roughly, almost an hour to reach this place. He wanders the street, walking past stalls that sell foods and items. His eyes shifts from shops to shops, from stalls to stalls… it's like festival!

"Naruto-san!" he turned towards the direction where he heard his name was called. He saw Youmu running straight to him, she seems to be gasping. Oh yeah, he kind of left her when they were at the village's gate. The white haired gardener panted, she eases out her breathing, before resuming talking. "Don't leave me like that… what would have happened if you got lost?"

Naruto rubbed his head and grinned sheepishly. He feels embarrassed for obvious reasons. "Hehehe… sorry for running off like that, I'm excited you know?" he said honestly to Youmu. He then chuckled nostalgically. "It's funny. I used to do escort missions when I was still at my home… but it seems that I'm the one being escorted right now." He laughed lightly at the end.

Youmu, however, is interested. "Missions?" the girl wondered aloud for him to hear. "What exactly are you back at your home place, if I may ask?"

Naruto smiled. She noticed that his smile is softer, not cheerful or energetic like the ones that he showed before. "I am a ninja." He flicked the metallic headband that has a strange symbol that he tied on his forehead. "We are soldiers, mercenaries, assassins, bodyguards and even weed exterminators." He chuckled at the last part. "We do jobs in order to progress in our ranks, but it's not only about that." He stretched his arms. "It's a lot more complicated, nothing to worry about."

"I see…" a ninja. She could not believe it. A ninja is standing in front of her and is having a casual conversation with her. Now it all made sense, the reason why she lost to her fight with him. He is skilled, more than her, in evading and reading movements or attacks. No wonder that his movements are so swift. And it explains why he did not show any offense that much, instead he counters at the right time for every attack that she delivered to him. And the clone thing… she heard of ninjas from her grandfather, she heard of them being deceptive and dangerous in their arts. He even reminded her not to underestimate a ninja no matter what he or she looks like. Where a samurai chose to fight openly, a ninja does not. They backstab and will use anything necessary to stop their foes.

That is what her grandfather told her. Still, Youmu cannot believe that Naruto is a ninja. Aside from skills, his appearance is too… how should she say it… too iconic and eye catching to be called a ninja. He wears bright clothing that does not suit the ninja category one bit. His attitude too. So bright and headstrong, from what she could observe. She may have never faced a ninja before, aside from Naruto, but she knows that ninjas are silent. But maybe… that is what Naruto is about. Maybe he is one of a kind in some ways…

Needless to say, she has grown more interested in the man that is Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

"Uwaa… I can't believe that it's already late already. It went by so fast, didn't it, Youmu?" true to his words. For Naruto, the day was so fast. Faster than that day when he got no assignments at all from granny. Throughout the whole day, Youmu showed him to three places in Gensokyo, all of them beautiful.

First place was the human village, a place where he enjoyed most of his days at. He remembers the scenery and atmosphere earlier today, it was so crowded that place… he and Youmu had lunch there, they ate a tea shop since Youmu is the one paying. He ate a few plates of dangos, considering that he hadn't eaten anything due to a certain pink haired ghost back at a certain huge as house… dango was not bad, maybe that crazy snake lady was right. Still, he had a good time at the human village, though he did not get to see most of it, he's sure that the place is beautiful and calm as it is crowded.

The second place was a bit weird. He was expecting for Youmu to take him into another place that is far from the human village. But instead, she took him to an old run down shrine that is only a few minutes run from the human village. The place, as he remembered it correctly, was… run down. That's the best choice of words that he could come up with. That is until he met the owner, or the shrine maiden of the shrine. Boy was she pissed when he revealed that he thought of her shrine being some random out of commission shrine. He nearly got into trouble but he and Youmu escaped before the miko could do anything.

It's a miracle that they escaped.

The last place was the Misty Lake, currently the most beautiful place that he visited in Gensokyo. The view was so beautiful that he regret that that asshole Sai was not here to paint the whole thing. He might even place the painting that the asshole will paint in his apartment, might. But whatever, the scenery and sight was engraved into the deepest part of his memories, the beautiful lake was cold though, probably why it's called the misty lake. And there's a lot of mist, but he's sure that he saw something huge, tall and red from across the distance. Not sure what though.

Now, they are walking back towards Hakugyokurou, with Youmu leading of course. But, the gardener has lost most of her energy due to the visiting of places. She could stay up and travel longer, normally. But for some reason, today, she's tired already. Maybe she lacks sleep? Impossible… she kept a healthy and routine rest, so that could not be the main reason. Whatever it is, it's hindering her from her escort. She can't afford to look sleepy in front of Naruto, it's embarrassing. The gates to Hakugyokurou is not far from where they are right now, she needs to hold it up for a little longer.

But unfortunately for her, the blonde notices this. He'd been eyeing the obviously sleepy girl for some time now. Come on, she is wobbling as she walks, and her head is nodding to prevent herself from sleeping. He chuckled silently, not planning on disturbing her. Naruto sighed and increases his pace, now he's walking ahead of Youmu. He slowed his pace down, his back nearly touching Youmu as she walks. As expected, the gardener falls asleep as she is walking. He was there to break her fall, he kneels down slightly, bending, he lets Youmu rests on his back. After chuckling in amusement, he lifts his weight along with Youmu and was not surprise to find her light, maybe lighter than what he imagined her to be.

He began walking, towards where they were walking before. He remembered where the gate was, his sense of direction is just too strong for it to not work properly. It's best if he lets Youmu rest, he owes her for accompanying him all day after all. As he walks with the gardener asleep on his back, he stares at the star filled sky of Gensokyo. He never thought that he would end up in a place as strange as Gensokyo. A crowded village, a mad priestess, and a downright and curb stomping beautiful scenery. He's glad that he'll be staying in a place as beautiful as this for a while, maybe Yuyuko was right… maybe Gensokyo is bound to be fun. In its own way…

He just hopes that he won't be causing anyone trouble or problem any sooner. He laughed humorously. He knew that it's near impossible for the great Naruto Uzumaki to not be in trouble. In fact, trouble finds him and he's like a magnet that attracts it! Well, no matter, he'll just solve whatever trouble and problem that he'll face here in Gensokyo and he will return to Konoha. He promised to his friends, to Sakura, Hinata, Kakahsi-sensei, to Yamato-taicho, to Sai, to Shikamaru… and even to that man Sasuke… he promised to his deceased mentor and master, Jiraiya and his fellow student under the same master Nagato that he would find the ideology that is peace.

Even his father entrusted him with that. All because of one thing. Because of faith. Having to trust other is a very, very difficult thing to do. It's like positioning oneself near an enemy territory. But so many things could come up from trust, be it good or bad. Naruto is sure that whether the results are bad or good he will find his way to solve and deal with his problems and troubles, along with his precious people, he will never give up.

That is his Nindo.

Step…

Step…

Step…

"Hey… Youmu? Thank you, for showing me around today."

…

…

"Heh, she's asleep…" he glanced back, at Youmu's sleeping face. Shaking his head, he faced forward again. Taking light steps, he walk carefully, trying not to disturb the sleeping girl that he is carrying on his back.

"_When I just can't find my way… you are always there for me…" _

His voice started, following into a tune. His eyes are focused on the road, though it seems that his mind is not.

"_When I am out of my way… you are always there for me…"_

The girl on his back shifts lightly, unknown to the man. Naruto kept on walking, the light that the moon reflected upon his path provides the necessary amount of light for him to see.

"_Like a bird… in the sky… you set me free you gave me one heart."_

He continues to sing, his voice drifting along the wind, where he continues to resume his broken melody. He is not much of singer… but at times like this, singing this song will always ease his heart.

"_Like a star… in my night… you'll always be a part of me."_

Youmu's eyelids shake slightly, showing signs that she is waking up. She heard something… something not too long ago. Or was it someone? It felt so… peaceful. She felt at ease for a moment. Her eyes slowly opens, showing the road. She's moving, but she's not moving her legs? Who is-

"Oh, you awake there?" Naruto's voice startles her. She flinched, her arms wrapping tighter into something. Youmu blinked, clearing her head. It took her seconds to realize that she was being carried by the taller man. She is wrapping her arms on his neck, to prevent her from falling. He is using his hands as a resting place for her legs, and it seems that she was asleep for quite a while.

"E-Eh! U-Uh sorry, I'll-" she was struggling uncomfortably, obviously why. Her usual stoic demeanor of a face is gone, replaced by a strangely defenseless and bright red expression that any girl would show when they are in certain situations. Youmu tried to move her legs, obviously to let herself on the ground. But Naruto's hands prevent her from doing so.

"Nu-uh." The blonde chuckled playfully. "You showed me around today… you must be tired, right? Just think as this as a way for me to say thanks for today." His grin returned, eyes closed as he turned his head slightly so that he could see Youmu's face even if it's just a little bit. "I don't mind carrying you. If we happened to walk out again someday, don't hesitate to tell me if you're tired. I'll send you home safe and sound." He said jokingly, obviously.

But not so obvious for the gardener. Her face heats up in a rapid manner, forcing Youmu to bury her entire face to his back, which caused her to grow redder and more flushed by the second. She's so embarrassed! Never in her life has she felt something like this before. It's embarrassing, yet… it's nice, in a sense. It's embarrassing though not so much, because it's only the two of them. She feels warm, and it's a different feeling from before. Just by burying her face on Naruto's back, she could already feel the entire chilling sensation, the entire coldness that she felt before disappears instantly. It feels as if she could survive winter alone with only Naruto beside her.

Kyuuun~

So embarrassing! So embarrassing!

Naruto blinked, he could feel Youmu rubbing her head on his back. Maybe she's really sleepy that she's doing that? Well, he better get home sooner or else Youmu might get cold.

…

Dense bastard.

* * *

"Oryaaa!"

"Ha!"

"It's not enough Youmu-chan, harder!"

"Hiiiiyaaah!"

"Woah! That was good, again!"

"Raaaah!"

From the veranda to the garden of Hakugyokurou, the mistress of Hakugyokurou herself is watching the scene before her eyes while enjoying a cup of warm morning tea. It's day two for her newest guest's stay in Gensokyo, and she's quite surprise that he has already gone so far with Youmu to be training with her this soon. She honestly expects him to be in a rather awkward contact with her gardener, but no… she's wrong. But it does not sadden her. In fact, it interests her.

Yuyuko's eyes are focused on the two who are sparring against each other. It was mostly a one sided spar, with Youmu doing all the attacking with Naruto doing all the dodging. So efficiently if she might add. She has never seen someone to dodge Youmu's strike with such ease and flexibility too. It seems that every strike that Youmu delivered has a single flaw in it, and Naruto would always slip through that flaw and avoid her strike.

My, to think that her guest would be so good in fighting. It will definitely be interesting here in Gensokyo, she's sure that Yukari would think the same too. Yuyuko sips from her glass, drinking the warm tea that was prepared to her by Youmu. Her attention is still on the two youngsters training, but she still snatch some rice crackers from her plate, eating them as she watched the two train.

Youmu runs forward, her sword ready to swing. Naruto analyze her movements, and he immediately knew what to do. When he reached a certain distance, away from Youmu's reach, he flicked his wrist where a kunai appeared in his hand. He clashed the shorter blade with Youmu's katana, and it was a rather strong hit. He never knew Youmu was able to hit this hard, he felt his whole body vibrating. Naruto then made a motion to sweep Youmu's legs, but the gardener predicted this and jump, avoiding his counter. She landed after a perfect backflip, her sword raised, she stares eye to eye against the male.

This time, it is Naruto's turn to make the advance. He throw barrages of kunai, but Youmu was too skillful for that move. She slices the incoming kunais with her sword, like a hot knife through butter. That shaken the blonde a bit, wow… scary. Naruto lets all doubt disappear from his head, he channel chakra through his kunai. The kunai began to glow blue, where the fire like aura that is chakra that envelopes the kunai began to expand, creating an extension to the blade. He learned this trick from Asuma-sensei, and the way to use it is also similar to the way the deceased Jounin used it.

The chakra that he channels will increase the durability of the kunai, it will also make it sharper about at least ten times than normal. And not to mention, the blade is now lighter and swifter, definitely to his play style. The white haired girl notices the change to her opponent's weapon, and she was not given the chance to think further when Naruto swings his chakra enhanced kunai horizontally at her direction. Youmu was at ease, the distance between him and her is far, there is no way that his knife could reach her.

But imagine her surprise when she felt a tingling pain on her cheeks. It shocked her greatly that she did not notice that the man was not in front of her anymore. Naruto reappeared, courtesy of substitution technique, behind Youmu. He has the kunai de-enhanced at Youmu's neck, pointing the tip of the blade at her vital spot.

"Yield." The voice that came out from his mouth surprises Youmu. Why? It is because it was very different from his cheerful and kind voice. It is the voice of someone who has faced many battles and won in his lifetime. She could feel the coldness of the blade as it is pressed to her neck, she gulped down hard unconsciously.

"I… I yield." The words came out quiet. The knife that was pointed to her neck was retracted back, causing her to release a sigh of relief. Youmu looked back, towards the blonde who now has a smile on his face.

"That was a good spar, let's do it again sometime." Naruto said. He noticed the cut on Youmu's cheek, he blinked. "Sorry… did I cut you before?"

Youmu reached her hand for the cut on her cheek, she winced slightly as she touched the spot. "It's nothing. I will deal with it later…" but Naruto did not listen. He reached for her cheeks, holding them lightly. Youmu panicked, but cannot move. The contact was too sudden, she did not have the time to retract herself from this position. Her face flushed beet red, eyes showing panic.

But suddenly, she began to feel… warm. Her cheek area, where he is touching to be exact. Youmu noticed that Naruto's arm, the one that he is using to touch her, is glowing green, almost like in a flame like aura. She began to feel at ease at the feeling, her body relaxed. Before she knew it, the feeling disappeared, and so does his hand. Youmu was slightly disappointed at the loss of contact, but did not show it anyway or whatsoever.

Naruto, with the same smile on his face, raised his hand in a magnificent gesture. "Ta-dah~ all better." He used the flat side of his kunai as a mirror to show Youmu. The half ghost and half human was surprised to see that the supposed to be cut was no longer there. "Neat huh? I learned that from my friend, Sakura-chan."

Youmu did not even bother asking who on earth Sakura is. She instead leaned in towards Naruto, closing the distance. She stares intently into the blonde's blue orbs, an unknown expression, to herself even, formed on her face. "A-A-Ano… can you please… can you please train with me from now on!?" she did a formal bow, a deep one too. It's a good thing that Naruto managed to step back to avoid collision.

Naruto nodded, the smile still on his face. "Sure!"

Absolute happiness course through her entire body. She has never felt so happy for a very long time, the last time was when she was younger, when her mistress took her to the festival to view the fireworks. But this time… she's happier, in some ways. She does not know why or how, but she's happy to hear such reply from the blonde. Her face brightens up in an instant, her forehead unknowingly has pressed itself to Naruto's forehead.

"Really?" Youmu asked.

"Yup!"

Her feeling of joy increases, she also realized that she is in a rather embarrassing position right now. She stumbles backward, almost falling. Keyword being 'almost'. There are a pair of strong arms embraced her from the front, breaking her fall. Youmu flinched not from fear, but from contact. Her aqua eyes are so close to Naruto's azure sea orbs.

"You okay?" The way his breath touched her lips… if her face was red before, now it could already rival a certain mansion in color. Youmu could not react, her lips quavering and shoulders shaking. Not a good reaction one might add. Naruto grew worried, still embracing the girl who was supposed to fall in his arms. "You want to rest or sit down?"

"I-I-I… I'll go to my room!" she was as fast as Gai-sensei and Lee combined. The girl ran for her room, leaving a still confused and worried Naruto in an awkward position. The boy's eyes blinked, then it changed into a look of confusion.

With his eyes squinted, Naruto scratched his chin, wondering what on earth is going on with Youmu. "Weird girl… maybe I'm at fault here… meh, who knows?" he shrugged it off carelessly. He's going to go to the kitchen and fix himself some tea. Yup, that would be good.

…

…

"Ufufufufu… Yukarin will be interested alright…~"

* * *

"Youmu!~ is dinner ready yet?~"

The mistress of the netherworld floats over to her gardener who is currently busy with preparing said dinner. It is always like this every time if they're going to have dinner. The half ghost gardener sighed at her mistress's question and attitude. "Yuyuko-sama. Please wait while I prepare dinner, I'm sure that you'll enjoy the treats that are provided on the table." She said to her mistress. The same line that she always say every time she's preparing dinner.

"Uuuh… Youmu's upset at me…" the ghost princess then pouts childishly, she crossed her arms and refused to see Youmu. "Hmph! Then fine, I'll go and play with Whisker-kun, Youmu mweeh!" she blow raspberry at the cooking gardener before storming out of the kitchen like a child who just got rejected from her parents.

Again, the white haired gardener sighed. "It's not Whisker-kun, Yuyuko-sama. His name is Naruto-kun."

Suddenly, Yuyuko's head pops back into the room from the door. Instead of the upset expression that she has before, there is now a teasing smile for a face. "Hohoho~? Since when was Whisker-kun, Naruto-kun… Youmu?" the pink haired ghost princess floats closer to her gardener. "Hey, Youmu~ tell me, since when was he Naruto-kun? Hm? Tell me, tell me~"

Even before Yuyuko starts to pester her, her face was already as red as a tomato and as hot as the soup that she's boiling. "W-What do you mean Yuyuko-sama!? I-I didn't call Naruto-ku- I mean Naruto-san such things!" the girl tried to deny it, her face red and heating up. "Dinner will be ready later, sopleasewaitoutside!" she pushed her mistress out of the kitchen, closing the sliding door loudly.

The ghost princess giggled. "Ufufufu~ Youmu is so cute, Naruto-kun is so lucky…"

"What lucky?"

Lo and behold, it's the clueless bastard himself- uh… the blonde himself. He stared at the ghost princess who is standing in front of the kitchen door for some reason. He blinked. Maybe this is a common sight, well… this is a woman who can eat a whole buffet in a matter of seconds after all. "What lucky?" he looks different. Maybe it's because he'd just finished taking a shower. His clothes are dirty, so he used his spare clothes that he always kept inside of his ninja pocket. How did it fit? He's good at folding clothes for some reason…

He's wearing his fishnet clothes that he always wear underneath his jacket, but since he's not wearing any jacket… he's wearing a black t-shirt underneath the fishnet shirt. The fishnet shirt that he has is so loose that he could fit five more shirts. And it's comfortable to wear, so why not? As for pants, his previous pants are not too dirty, so he'll just stick with them for the time being. He kept his forehead protector in his room, there's no reason walking around the house with it, right? For him, he looks absolutely normal.

For Yuyuko, however… she's seeing a different kind of specimen, as if a specimen that she has never seen before. That explains her staring. The way the blonde's hair is wet from the bath that he took earlier is certainly charming. And he has a figure of a runner, something that really fits him well. And his eyes… are they always that bright? Maybe it's Youmu's the one who's lucky, instead of Naruto?

"Hello, Yuyuko-san?" Naruto waved his hand, getting the woman's attention.

Yuyuko was snapped out of her daze, she then gave him a smile. "Sorry about that Whisker-kun, what was it?"

Naruto decided to leave the question be. Maybe it was nothing anyway. "Nothing. So… is Youmu ready with dinner yet?"

Needless to say, Youmu can't eat properly that night.

* * *

Three days have passed ever since his spirited away into Gensokyo. He can't believe it that it's been quite a long time. So that means that it's his… fifth day in Gensokyo, nearly a week. Wow. But those days are spent away in a rather normal manner. He got to spar daily with Youmu, who is improving in her skills. Though he's not much of a kenjutsu user, he can say that Youmu is really good with her sword. He also got to talk to the gardener about certain things, he shared to her about his home town, what was Konoha like.

He told her about Pein, his friends, and even that old pervert Jiraiya… it's nothing much, but enough to make her have a good story time. Today, he's rather excited about today. Why? Because yesterday night, when they were having dinner, Yuyuko told them that there will be a festival at the run down shrine that he visited on his second day here. He was surprised of course, having thought of it being run down and the miko who works there is mad. The festival will be held tomorrow night, meaning his soon to be sixth day in Gensokyo.

A festival… he'd been to festival before, but nothing too good. Just eating at old man Teuchi's ramen bar, chatting with Shikamaru and the gangs… that's all. God, he missed them. Maybe he'll have a good time there, he's sure of it. Gensokyo has proved to be peaceful place for him. He really wanted to see what this place has to offer for him. He doesn't care if it's bad or good things… all he care about is that he will return home in the end.

As of now… he's helping Youmu in a small errand. He was given money and a piece of paper and was tasked to buy a few things from the human village. He's walking the street down into a row of shops. He'd just arrived here to the village, and is currently beginning his task. It's like doing D-ranked mission all over again… the nostalgia.

"Let's see… Sake… and sweets… hmm… oh well, it's clear enough." The ninja pocketed the paper back into his pockets. The paper only said what to buy, but not where he should be getting them from. Maybe he'll just ask from the locals around here. He could start with… ooh Ramen!

"No… you must suppress it Naruto… you must suppress it…"

Where was he…? Oh yeah, he's supposed to buy the things that are written… so, where should he start…?

"Now… if I am a Sake then where should I start…?" he began to switch his view from store to store, looking with his eyes squinted. He seriously don't know where to start. It's his own foolishness from not asking Youmu where he should have begun his search. It's not that it's the gardener fault… but maybe it is, maybe it isn't. He sighed shortly later. "Haah… it's useless, I don't know where to start."

"Excuse me… may I help you?"

It seems that God has sent help for him in the form of a stranger. The blonde turned his head towards his right, where the voice came from. Now, he's being approached by a woman who is as tall as him… if she's not wearing… wearing… okay, what the heck is that on her head? Never mind that. She's young, he could easily tell, maybe as young looking as Yuyuko? She is wearing a blue dress with designs that are a bother for him to describe, her hair's a beautiful silver color with a few streaks of blue and white. She finally reached him, stopping at an appropriate distance.

Naruto's troubled feeling instantly vanished. "Hi there! Eh… My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm on an errand right now." He pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket, showing it to her. "As you can see… I'm supposed to get these things written here. But I don't know where to get them, could you help me?" he asked the woman.

The woman nodded. "My name is Keine Kamishirasawa, I'm a teacher in this village." she introduced herself. Keine reached for the paper that he is holding, reading it. Her eyes blinked in confusion. "Sake… and sweets? Must be for the festival tomorrow, right?"

Naruto rubbed his head sheepishly. "Hehehe… I don't know. Youmu-chan just asked me to help her get these things, I don't know if it's for the party or not." He said honestly.

"Youmu-chan…? Say, that is the name of the gardener that works in Hakugyokurou, right?" Keine asked the boy, interested at the mentioning of a familiar name.

Naruto's turn to be surprised. He then nodded. "Um. It's Youmu-chan." He clarifies.

"I see… then what about you, I haven't seen you around here before?"

"I'm here due to a very… eh… complicated situation. I end up in the Netherworld, and long story short, I'll be staying there for a while." He explained simply to Keine.

"For a while? Does that mean that you will be leaving?" Keine asked.

"I… think so…? I really need to know what sent me here… and after some thinking, I don't think I got magically transported here just like what Youmu-chan told me." He is still thinking about that matter actually.

"Hm… then, I wish for the best for you." Keine said. "Now, you said that you need to find what you need, right? There is a shop in this area, just follow this road and look for a shop that sells Sake, trust me. You'll know it when you see it." Keine said, smiling a little bit.

Naruto looked thankful. "Thank you Keine-san, see you!" he ran off towards where he was told to.

The teacher waved her hand at the running boy. It's normal for people to get lost for their first time in the human village… but for someone who was in the Netherworld before the village is something new. Maybe she needs to do some research on the matter… no. it's best for things to be as it is.

* * *

"Woah… Keine-san was right…" she is right about him being not able to miss it. This place would be like the heaven for granny… look at how many Sake barrels that this place has! There're some weird Sake here… and the smell is evident even if he's just standing outside of the shop. Naruto walked inside the shop. "Excuse me!"

Someone came from the back, it's a man who is in his middle ages. He's taller than Naruto, and his body physique is rather rugged too. "Hello there boy… what can I help you with?" asked the man to his customer.

"I need Sake… about…" he read the note that he has closer. He just noticed that it's written 'three barrels' beside the writing 'Sake'. "Uh… I need three barrels of your finest Sake. And some sweets too if you have." He said.

The man nodded. "Sure thing. As for the sweets, what would you like and how much?"

Now that question is hard to answer. Generally, he likes all sweets. Especially the ones that Youmu made. But he didn't know what should he get, and there's no instruction or whatsoever about getting sweets written here in the note. "Eh… how about one of each?"

The man nodded again, doing his job. "Sure thing."

Shortly later, the man returned carrying three barrels of Sake on his own. Naruto has the decency to look surprised, those must be heavy. The shopkeeper also has his sweets inside a small bag, he set them down at the counter. "Okay, that's all. Anything else?" he asked the ninja.

"No." Naruto then reached for his other pocket, where he kept the money. He paid the shopkeeper and leaves… while carrying three barrels of Sake with him. When he reached the front entrance, he is already panting. "Ugh… these are heavy alright." Well, it is nothing compared to all the things that he had to carry when he's _shopping_ with that old pervert. Still… the trip back to the Netherworld will be a little bit difficult.

He made it anyway.

"I'm back!" he shouted, announcing his arrival back to the house. He set the Sake barrels down on the floor near the wall, and a sigh escaped his lips. Boy was that a long walk… he did cut through the forest. And it's mistake to do that. It did get him home… but there're some creepy things in the forest, even if it's morning. He won't go into the forest alone ever again…

"Ah…" Youmu peered back from the corner of a wall. "You've arrived. And with the Sake too, well… there're snacks in the table if you want." She said, walking towards the blonde. "Please rest if you want too… I'm sure that you're tired after all of this…" Youmu said softly at the end, her head looking down on the floor.

"Nah it's nothing." The blonde ninja stretched his arms, making popping sounds. "I'm glad that I could help. It's the only thing I could do, you know?"

Well that's acceptable. "I see… then please, I'll go and-" she was about to turn and leave, but she was stopped by Naruto's hand which grabbed hers to prevent her from going anywhere. Youmu stiffen up upon contact, her face getting noticeably red and flushed. "W-What is it…?" she turned her head slowly towards the blonde.

"Hey, let me help. If you got any other chores that you need to do, let me help. Okay?" he smiled, flashing her his ever so kind smile.

That's… that's unfair!

* * *

**Later that night…**

* * *

It's bedtime…

But she could not bring herself to sleep. Throughout the entire day, she's left with a feeling that she's never felt before… a feeling that makes her chest goes jumpy whenever she sees the blonde haired ninja. Even today, when she is preparing lunch, she somehow ended up with giving more rice to Naruto's bowl instead of her mistress. It took a lot of pleading to get her mistress back, but it worked.

Then the same thing happened again, that time… she was cleaning the hallway's floor. She remembered his words on him wanting to help her if there's any chores around the house. At first, she rejected him. But he managed to convince her in the way. She cannot concentrate with him being so close to her, cleaning the same floor and all that. And what's even more serious is that she has no idea why she's feeling like this.

But her mind… her mind is filled with nothing but him, him, him and him! She did get to know him over the past few days, and she's glad that she did. She cannot imagine not knowing him so well, now that he's staying here of course. But… something that saddens her greatly, he will leave some time in the near future. The mere thought of that happening makes her chest hurts. She doesn't know why… but it hurts whenever she thought of him leaving.

Her mind's in pieces, cannot stand the thought of Naruto leaving. She could feel emptiness in her heart if she's thinking about it for too long. But… why? Why is she feeling this way? Is she… she in love with him?

She heard the term from Marisa when she was at Reimu's shrine… but what she's feeling is different from the things that she heard from the witch. The witch said that love is feeling that makes all girl swoon and sigh over someone that they've fallen in love with. The witch also said that love is something that's complicated. Well, the last part was true but she doesn't know about the first though… is this love? Is this… love that she's feeling for Naruto Uzumaki?

And even if it is…

Will he return it?

The half ghost gardener buries her pillow into her face, hiding the fact that she's blushing like mad. She has the strange and uncontrollable urge to squeal for some reason. That terrifies her, in a sense. She can feel her heart beating like crazy, it's pumping so fast that she is starting to feel anxious. She could not sleep.

* * *

She did not sleep.

Last night was… horrible, but not because of the cause of her lack of sleep. It's because she did not get to sleep at all. Her eyes are tired, and there are bags underneath her eyes. She's supposed to do her morning duties, but her body is too tired to do anything aside from standing. To think that she's this tired from not sleeping for just one night…

Her ghost half floats down next to her, floating like the curious little bubble it is. Youmu stifled a yawn, doing so by closing her eyes. It's a long day tonight… and there is the festival Reimu's shrine tonight… she needs to be ready for it and prepare everything that needs to be prepared. But first… she needs to do her morning duties.

There're a few of them. Tending to garden, doing her morning exercise, preparing breakfast and of course… getting ready for tonight's festival. She's excited for the festival… before. But now… not so much. She's tired from thinking too much about last night. She needs to clear her head first…

She went into the kitchen, grabbing a glass full of water. Youmu drinks the water, emptying the cup. She placed the cup into the sink, cleaning it later. That does not help… Youmu exited the kitchen, sliding the door open. The half ghost gardener nearly jumped in surprise when Naruto was there standing so close to her. it seems that he's going to enter the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning Youmu." Greeted the blonde haired ninja to the gardener. He has his usual smile on his face, and is dressed in his orange and black jacket.

"G-Good morning…" Youmu managed to said out shyly. She refuses to look at his face, she doesn't know if she'll be able to do that in the first place.

Naruto notices something about the girl… she's tired, maybe she can't sleep last night? But he decided not to pry. "Well, I was about to grab myself a cup of water. What about you?"

"I… Uh… I'm about to do my duties." The gardener said.

"Eh…? So early? Need help?" asked the blonde ninja.

"No!" Youmu shook her head as fast as she can. "I mean… it's my duties so… you can't help too much." She mentally cursed herself for not being able to lie better.

Instead of what she's expecting, the blonde ninja shrugged his shoulders. "Meh, whatever you say then. But if you need help, just ask me and I'll help you, alright?"

"Hai…"

The blonde smiled one last time before going inside the kitchen to grab himself a drink to start his morning with. Youmu immediately left for the hallways, choosing to avoid him for the time being. She placed a hand on her chest, where she could feel the beating of her heart slowly decreasing now that she's away from him. The gardener sighed, feeling at ease.

"It happened again… why, I wonder…?" she said to herself, walking the long hallways of the house while releasing a long yawn. She better start her duties now, she needs to prepare the things for the festival tonight.

* * *

**With Naruto…**

* * *

"Man, that was refreshing." Dumping his head with cold water in the morning is as refreshing as he thought it would be. He grabbed a nearby towel and uses it to dry his hair. After finishing, he throw the towel into an empty basin, before heading outside to start his day. The moment he's been here, he hasn't been doing much. He did train with Youmu by having a spar with her daily, but it looks like that she's too tired for it today.

Arriving at the veranda that gives him a nice view of the long garden of Hakugyokurou, Naruto took in a deep breathe, releasing it with a satisfied look. "Ah…" the scenery is still beautiful, no matter how many times he'd seen it. Maybe it's because he likes it…? Or maybe he didn't really get to enjoy this kind of view back home?

Speaking of home… he's finally got a chance to go home. It was all thanks to Yuyuko for telling this to him. Yuyuko has a friend that could send him home, and good news, she'll be in the shrine festival tonight. That's good news… but at the same time, it's bad news. He has to admit, he's getting kind of attached to this place. And he won't be able to train with Youmu again when he leaves… but he's sure that she'll understand.

But he still has a long time before the festival started tonight, so he'll be using that time wisely. He entered the garden, where he began his daily training exercise. Usual stuffs. Taijutsu practice, chakra control exercise and a little bit of meditation to ease his mind off from things… he's doing well, and he can't afford to get rusty after all. After he is finished with his training, he noticed that it took him nearly two hours to train. But he still has a lot of sunlight to enjoy, so he'll do fine.

Next, he's taking a short break on the living room, just sitting and polishing his kunais. He took off his jacket, because it's a little hot today inside. He's sitting near the wall, leaning unto it while wearing only his fishnet shirt on him. he grabbed his kunai carefully, polishing it the way he was taught to do it. He is absorbed in the activity already, concentrating on nothing but at what he's doing. After he is done, he put on his jacket back, placed his kunais and other weapons into his inventory and walked to his room.

On the way, he encountered Youmu, who is holding a broom on her hand. He could immediately see the girl's face getting red instantly, and he could feel her getting uncomfortable. The ninja frowned mentally. Is he doing this to her? still, he managed to give the girl a smile. "Hey Youmu, need he-"

But the girl ran away, not saying anything. Naruto stared at where she's standing dejectedly, all he wanted to do was help. Maybe she's tired… yeah, and he's tired too. Maybe a small power nap will make his day better. He entered his room, sliding the door open. He lies on the floor, looking and staring at the ceiling doing nothing at all.

He has his hands acting as pillows. His eyes stared into the ceiling, deep in thought. What should he say to Youmu… perhaps it's better to not say anything to her and let her wait for later tonight. He's sure that Yuyuko could convince her friend to send him home… but will it be okay? He shook his head. Of course it will. But when the thought of going occurred, he can't help but feel so distance to this place already.

Well whatever… he'll just enjoy his time in the festival tonight.

"Thank you for the food."

The different voices chorused at the same time. Each of them belongs to the different people that occupies Hakugyokurou. Youmu was the first to stand, she carries her bowls and other eating utensils with her. "I'll be on the veranda and please do tell me when we are ready to leave." She bowed politely to her mistress, but not making an effort to greet the male. Naruto placed his chopsticks down on the table, he looked at the leaving girl.

He's not sure on what's going on… but… did he do something to upset her?

He hopes not.

* * *

The festival is… crowded. He's not sure if he'll be comfortable staying at a place like this for too long. The run down shrine that this festival was held on is not so run down anymore. He's seeing shops and stalls everywhere, from stalls that sells masks and even stalls that provides game like entertainment. The group from Hakugyokurou entered the Torii gates of the shrine, greeted by the view of so many people. Of course, the one who's excited the most is Yuyuko. She looks as if she's going to empty available food stalls that are here. He just hope that she won't do that.

"Uwaaah!~ so many things to try." Well, he's wrong. "Youmu, I'll go and look at some of the stalls, why don't you and Whisker-kun go somewhere?" the two tensed at the mentioning of them having to stay and go together. "Here are some money, and have fun!~" there she goes, drifting off the to the food area.

Naruto sweat drops, she's really a weird woman… but now, back to the matter at hand. He glanced at the gardener, an awkward smile on his face. "So… let's go and have fun?"

Youmu could only nod meekly.

So have fun, they did. They went through various stalls, from games to foods. He and Youmu played games and even tried their luck on scooping a goldfish. He succeeded on getting one, cheating of course. Hey, this place does not say that he can't use chakra to play, right? Anyway, the festival has proved to be fun. As he lead the girl through the festival, he could feel their awkward atmosphere starting to collapse. She's smiling now, even if it's a small one. They also played on a ring tossing game, he won the biggest prize, which is a large panda doll. Of course, seeing that he has no use for the doll, he gave it to the gardener. She rejected at first, but now she decided to keep it.

Time goes on, and it is nearly the finale of the festival. The fireworks. Naruto got the best spot on the shrine, on top of the shrine roof. He's sure that the mad miko won't mind them sitting and enjoying the firework from up here. He is equipped with all the spoils that he got from doing games and other sorts of activities from the festival. He is wearing a fox mask that he placed sideways on his head, allowing his face to be seen by others. And on his right hand, he's holding a plastic bag filled with takoyaki. Weird… are there seas in Gensokyo?

Beside him is Youmu, hugging the large panda doll with both of her arms as she sat right next to the boy, looking up at the sky, waiting for the firework to appear. She also has a mask of her own, but hers is a cat instead of fox like the one that Naruto has. She did not buy anything much, just the mask and few foods that she ate before. Her eyes glanced at Naruto's direction.

She needs to say it. She really do. The silent atmosphere that the both of them are sharing is starting to get a little bit unbearable.

"You know…"

"Naruto…"

They spoke at the same time. Naruto laughed while Youmu blushed at the weird timing. "You speak first." Naruto said.

"No, you first…" insisted the girl.

"Hm… okay then." Naruto accepts it. He took in a deep breath. "I enjoy being here Youmu. The past few days that I spent are the best, even though I did not get to do much. But I enjoyed every last bit of it. Visiting the places in Gensokyo… training with you… it's all nice. And I do enjoy your cooking, they're delicious." He said. "But… I'm afraid that this is it Youmu."

Eh?

Naruto looked straight at Youmu's eyes. "Youmu… I'm leaving."

Silence. Not even the nosy atmosphere of the crowd down below is enough to pierce through the thick and dense silence that surrounds the two. Youmu's eyes are wide, shock. Her face pale. She did not say anything for a few minutes. But she managed to speak in the end.

"When…?"

"Tonight."

"Tonight? As in right now?"

"Yes."

Youmu's face is flooded with shock, sadness, and pain. She discarded the panda plushy. Youmu grabbed Naruto's collar, her eyes deep into his blue orbs. "Y-You're joking right? Hey, you're joking right?" she refused to belief it.

Naruto shook his head. "No… Yuyuko-san is talking with her friend right now… I think. She promised me that she'll talk to her about sending me back to Konoha." He revealed. Well, so much for having her to find out about it on her own. He thought that it's better this way…

Youmu shook her head furiously, still grabbing on his collar. "No… no no no no no!" she's shouting now. "You're lying… you're joking right?"

"No… Youmu, I am not joking."

His words are like arrows to her heart. It pierced her so deep that it hurts. Slowly, her hands began to let go of his collar. Her head bowed, covering and shadowing her expression from the man. Naruto wondered. Is she really upset in him leaving… if so, why…? He's sure that she'll take it well, but looks like he's wrong.

Naruto did not have the chance to resume his thoughts. He felt something… something hot and painful on his cheeks. He was so shocked that he did not expected this. Youmu slapped him… she slapped him. The girl got up. "Why…? Why didn't you tell me?" her voice came out pleading.

Naruto touched the spot where he was slapped at. He shook off the surprise from his thoughts, answering her. "I thought that you'll better off not knowing. I don't want to surprise you- OW!" Another slap, this time on his other cheeks. Naruto stared, shocked. "Youmu…?"

The gardener raised her head. Naruto's heart instantly shakes. She's… crying. He made her cry. Oh God… what had he done? Youmu did not say anything else. She jumped down and began to take off aimlessly, back at the crowd.

Naruto jumped down, taking off after the girl. She went back to the stalls area, he'll lost her if he don't get to her quick. "Youmu! Wait, I can explain!" but it's useless, she's not stopping. Their chase went on for some more while, it came to the point where they're at the forest, standing on a clearing. Naruto entered the clearing, panting, that was too sudden for him to be running. He saw Youmu with her back faced towards him. he panted some more.

"Youmu… please, listen to me." He begged for the girl. "I know that it's my fault but please, tell me… why are you upset about this?" he asked, seriously confused. He wants to know why the gardener is acting like this.

Youmu did not answer him.

"Please… Youmu?"

Again, silence.

Silence for what seems to be eternity has passed, broken.

"It's because… I love you."

**SWOOOOSH**

**BANG**

What…?

"I love you… I really do." Youmu smiled. Even after all of this, she still managed to smile. Though her smile… it's sad. She's crying. "I love you very much…" he saw her clutching her chest. "I love you so much that it hurts… it hurts here, Naruto… I don't know what to do, I can't do anything…"

His legs started to shake.

"I enjoyed the time that we've spent… but I was hoping for more." She wiped her tears even if it is useless. "I'm sorry for being such a selfish girl… hehehe…"

She laughed… she finally laughed. His heart can't take this anymore.

Youmu walked over towards him, when she reached him, she hugged him tight. She buries her ears to his chest, hearing the rhythm of his heart. The smile that was on her face turns more serene. She let out a small chorus of giggles. "Hehehe… I'm sorry that I feel this way about you… it must be uncomfortable, right? I don't even know it myself…"

He cannot do anything aside from hearing what she has got to say.

The girl lifts her head from his chest, her eyes then met with his.

"Naruto… can you give me one last thing?"

"Yeah…" out of all the words that he could say, he only managed to utter that.

"I want something… something that I will remember with me when you're gone. Something… anything."

His hands reached for her cheeks, unconsciously. He is not in control of his body right now. His fingers stroke her tear stained cheeks, still feeling its softness despite being damp from her tears. He does this for a small while, emitting giggles from the girl. "That tickles…" he did not even respond to that.

He stares back into Youmu's eyes, regret flashing on his eyes. He can't believe that he had done something so stupid in his life. How could he do something as cruel as this to this girl?... he slowly leaned his head towards her face. Youmu's eyes closing as he did so.

…

It's soft. Her lips. They're soft.

* * *

**Later…**

* * *

"Yoho~ you must be Naruto-kun, right?" a woman, dressed in a clothing that is all purple waved at him with a fan hiding her mouth. She is Yuyuko's friend. Her name's Yukari Yakumo. She is a woman that stood a little bit taller than him, has a long beautiful blonde hair and a pair of purple eyes. But her appearance is nothing compared to the girl he's holding his hands with. Yukari noticed something, her eyes travelled down towards where both of their hands are connected. "Oh my!~ are you sure you want to leave?"

Naruto smiled. He smiled at the white haired girl who returned his bright smile with a soft one. He then turned his head towards Yukari again. "Well… things got a little messy but we managed to settle it." He said while smiling.

Yukari giggled. "Oh Yuyu, he's really a good choice for Youmu-chan isn't he?" she asked her friend who is standing behind the two with a smile that is different from her usual smile.

The ghost princess of the Netherworld smiles. "Of course~ after all, they're a cute couple isn't it right, Yukarin?"

The other woman nodded. "Ufufufu~ so true. Now…" she looked at the boy again. "Are you really sure that you want to leave? Once you leave there will be no returning here." She warned the boy.

Naruto tightens his grip on Youmu's hand, still smiling. "Yes, I want to."

"I see… then please…" she snapped her fingers, a portal like thing opened, showing eyes filled holes. "Step inside the gap if you're ready…"

Silence. But Naruto broke it. He clasped his hands on Youmu's shoulders, he bent slightly so that he could face her clearly. "Remember when I told you that I always try to fulfill every promises that I made?"

"Yes…" Youmu nodded.

Naruto smiled. "Then I will promise that I will return, and stay here when I am done saving the world like I told you that I would. And when I return… I will make you the happiest girl- no… woman on earth." He said, his voice full of promise. "Here… I want you to take this." He untied the headband from his head, handing it to Youmu.

Youmu wiped a few tears that escaped her eyes. "Heheh… I'm sure you will. And… what's this for?"

"I want you to return it to me… and make sure that it's in good condition, alright? It's the last model out there." He said jokingly.

Naruto leaned in to plant a soft and chaste kiss that lasts for quite a while on Youmu's lips. He smiled one last time for the girl, he hugged her and Youmu returned the hug. To let go of her thin body frame is painful. But… if you love her, then it's best to let her go, they said. He gave Youmu one final look, his back facing the gap that Yukari had opened up. To hell with the tears that are dripping down from his face. He has a promise… and he will do his freaking best to keep it.

With a final wave, he said his goodbyes to Youmu and both women who are returning the gesture. He stepped into the gap, still waving. Then… the gap closes fully and he sees black.

* * *

"Whoa… I'm back?" he opened his eyes to find himself standing on top of a familiar tower. He looked around, and a smile crept up his face when he saw the five heads that are sculpted unto a mountain. He cheered, raising his hands in happiness and joy.

"Hell yeah! I miss you Konoha!"… more importantly, he missed her already. Naruto wiped his eyes, feeling them a little wet.

"Now… to work my ass off until I can meet Youmu-chan again!"

Of course, after a few bowls of Ichirakus.

* * *

**Epilogue…**

* * *

"Yuyuko-sama, breakfast is ready." The half ghost gardener slides open the door that is her mistress's bedroom. To her surprise, no one is in there. "Huh… weird, where is Yuyuko-sama?" Youmu wondered out.

She's… different from her old self. Her hair has grown longer, reaching her mid back. And she's grown taller, as close to a certain blonde. Her clothes are still in the same style as her old ones, and she still has her twin swords strapped to her back. On her neck, is a headband. A headband that has a metallic plate with a strange symbol engraved into it.

She's still doing her duties, but her master isn't here when she's going to wake her up for breakfast. She searched for the garden and veranda, but she's not there. Where could she have gone to? It's not normal for her mistress to not be present for breakfast. She would usually beat her to the table… but today, what's going on.

Five years has passed ever since the departure of a certain man… she's sure that he is venturing out there, becoming the hero that he wanted to be. She missed him so much. So much that she would sometimes sleep with the item that he left her with. Youmu walked towards the living room. She then stopped, hearing sounds coming from the room.

"Oh really~ Ufufufu.. It must be interesting then…"

That's her mistress voice. Why didn't she thought of searching there in the first place? She walked over to the room, sliding the door open. "Yuyuko-sama, food is ready in the dining room-!" she cannot finished speaking. Her eyes are focused on a face that she knew. The same face that… the same face that…

The owner of the face smiled.

"Hi, could I join you for breakfast?"

Youmu leapt from her place, tears pouring out, she buries her face into a familiar clothing.

"I'm back… Youmu-chan."

"Tadaima… Anata…"

She's the happiest woman in the earth right now.

* * *

**Well... what do you think? I'm not good in writing these kinds of things, I'm sorry for that. I'll try and improve better for both you readers' sake and mine. Again, I'm sorry if it is rushed. Three days of lack of sleep isn't healthy... I know I'm apologizing too much so I'm sorry... anyway, again, hope you enjoyed that, and hope to see more of these as you wait for the other updates.**


	2. Satori

"Oh Joy… where the hell am I?"

Let him tell one thing. Be very, very, very careful when experimenting with Space-time manipulation. At first, he's interested, just like a certain dead pervert would to Fuinjutsu. So he dedicated four years of his life on training in hopes to master the arts of Space-time manipulation. Those years helped him, greatly. But not so great, seeing the situation he's in.

He is Naruto Uzumaki. The man who fought in a way, the man who survived a war, the man who used to be hated because of the big ass fury demon in his stomach, and the man who is now famed for being the hero of his world. Yup, even after all those time… not a single title was given to him. Not even the title 'Hokage'. Speaking of Hokage… he would've never thought that a certain Hyuuga heiress would become one. He's glad for some reason.

Something, from the back of his nearly none existent mind, tells him that he should describe the clothing that he's currently wearing. He don't have a flipping clue as to why, but he'll do it anyway. He's dressed in his usual orange and black jacket, he still keep them no surprise there. Over his jacket is none other… his favorite haori. The one with the flames at the bottom. Oh wait, all of them have the same designs.

Well, anyway… his lower apparel consists of the same pair of pants that he wears all the time. His footwear is different, at least. Instead of using sandals, he is wearing boots. Why? The last time he practiced on a Space-time jutsu, he got transported to a place where there's literally spikes protruding from the ground. What's worse, all of them are fricking tiny! It's a good thing he escaped by whatever means back then… he wears them simply because the soles are strong, and tough. He could break some small rocks just by stepping over them with his full weight.

That covers just about his clothing… oh wait, his face! On his face, right now, is a complete mixture of different emotions. Let's see… there's joy, obvious because his technique worked. There's also cluelessness, because he has no idea wherever the hell he's at right now. There's annoyance, because he's hot. And there's this look that says, 'Oh great here we go again.'… something like that.

He experienced this kind of thing almost every time he tinkled with some Space-time jutsu, or maybe he was followed by a ghost who would bring him misfortune. So, how did he get into this place? The answer's obvious. He was practicing with seals, the complicated ones, and was about to run a test on them. Thinking of what will happen, he decided not to do it first. He packed some storage scrolls with valuable and important contents. Ramen, clothes, gears, ramen etc.

After a while he finally did the jutsu, or the experiment. And… that is how he's here.

In a cave of some sort… or at least what he thought was supposed to be a cave.

Standing, he inspected his surroundings. His eyes squinting, while stroking his nonexistent beard. He did this for a whole minute, then, he realized.

"Huh, it's dark."

Now that he has realized the graver news, it is time for him to learn about the next graver news. Looking down, still dark but he can still see a little bit, he noticed that he is not wearing any clothes. Or pants. Or underwear for that matter. He blinked. He's naked, he's naked in a dark cave like place. He's naked, cold and alone in a cave like place… did he mentioned that he was naked?

Like what a certain Nara would do… he said the magic word.

"Troublesome…"

And shitty too.

He looked around, desperately trying to find something out of the ordinary, like a perverted rock or something. God why does his life have to be involved in perverted things? Anyway, as he began looking around for whatever it is that his brain is looking for, he noticed something bright at the far end of his vision. It's light! It's light! He's saved! It's light!

With a large, idiotic and relieved grin, he charged for the light, like what a moth would do. He's running, his shinobi reflexes managed to keep him from crashing into rocks or getting slipped. He felt incredible, he felt like someone who has achieved something in his life – Just kidding, he felt weird with his wanger hanging around just like that – he felt like the messiah himself!

Oh wait, he is the messiah… the savior of this world, remember?

Wait, didn't he just thought that no one even bother on giving him a title?

Meh, he don't care anymore.

So, anyway, he's running. Running for the light. It's starting to get annoying for him, this is getting too long. Is someone up there screwing with him? Why on earth is he thinking so much? Hell he'd only speak a sentence for about the last twenty minutes! He swear… As he runs further into the direction of the light, his eyes are blinded, thinking that he's free from the darkness. He felt his lips stretching wide, he felt relieved and weird since he's naked, and he feels…

Hot.

Hot… hot… no… hum…

Hot would be sugarcoating it. For an instance, it only felt hot to him because he's feeling warmth, they both are nearly identical term, so… yes, this is heat that he's feeling. Now think, if there's heat there's… fire! Good, good. If there's fire then… he's going to be burned and ohshitit'sgettingHOTTERHOTTER!

"GYAAAAA WHERE THE HELL AM I!?"

He's out of the darkness and into the fire, new idiom right there by the way, and by fire, he meant fire. If it was hot before, then it's scorching right here. He's standing on this bridge like thing that connects from the cave he was in before into this large, circular platform with… things on it. He can't quite explain it, except that it has many metallic based things. There's those screen things here… it's blank, chowing nothing. Under the platform is, no doubt, fire. Fire.

Great. He's lost, hot and naked. He needs his pants, or his boxers to say the least. He's sweating like a gypsy in a mortgage…

What's a gypsy?

Anyway, he needs to find people. Clothes first, then people. Wait… oh yeah he's a ninja, he totally forgot.

With a quick hand seal, he is now fully dressed from up to bottom. That's right baby, Naruto Uzumaki won't be the literal meaning of his father's nickname! Get it? 'The yellow flash'? get it? No? okay. Where was he… oh, he's going to go to this platform with the screen like things on it. This place is so hot, for obvious reasons, and he's wearing a jacket. Maybe he should just take it off? Nah, what if his clothes got burned? That would've been troublesome to think of.

He reached the platform like thing, where on it, he can see what's here clearly. Aside from the screens like things, there are also pipes and many buttons. All the pipes lead up to the large stony, cave like structure, it spreads further, deeper out of his vision. He won't need to think about that, what he needs to think of, aside from getting home, is on how to find someone in a place where there's only fire and this weird thing!

"Hi there!"

…or he won't have to do anything. He'll have the person do something, for him.

* * *

"Oh… I get it, so you're a monk!"

"…For the hundredth time, I am a Sage, there're differences!" he can't help but raise his voice. "Do I look like some gong hitting person to you?"

"…What's a gong?"

"For the hundredth time, it's a thing that makes sound when hit!"

"Like what?"

"Like your head if I hit it really hard!"

That's it, he should've kept his mouth shut. He is fortunate enough to have found a person in this… place… but unluckily, the person he's with, is an idiot. No, she's a bird brain. Speaking of birds… is it normal for a person to have wings on their back? And she's wearing a cape too, and they say he has no sense of fashion… anyway, he asked the girl some questions, but only to get asked in return.

Seriously, he was asking her, 'Where are we?' before and she asked him back with a, 'Who are you?'. At first, that's acceptable, but as he asked her more, more and more questions, he's finding himself getting no progress at all. He and this woman is walking, walking towards wherever this woman is leading him.

Speaking of the woman… she's actually… different… in a way. Never mind the wings on her back, never mind the state or whatever condition she's in, never mind the canon like thing that she has over her arm… there's something different about this girl, he could sense it. Whatever it is, it's bound to affect him in some ways.

How is he so sure that this woman might affect him in the near future? Well… he did say that fate is a lie… but for him, seeing is believing. And when he believes, he'll understand it. About this girl, bird-girl, she's actually… nice, in a way. Despite her asking him troublesome questions, he believed that this girl is nice. Or maybe she's just too dumb that she is considered nice.

Either way, it'll work.

"Okay, Utsuho…"

"Okuu."

"Okay, Okuu…

"It's Reiuji Utsuho."

"Okay, Utsuho."

"It's Okuu."

That's the last… straw. He breaths deeply, releasing them from his nostrils a second later. He pinched his temples, trying to prevent them from furrowing. "Okuu… listen, and I need you to answer me properly." He started, asking.

"Okay!"… and she's happy for some reason.

"Where am I?" straight to the point.

"You're in hell."… and a straight out flat answer in return.

"I'm sorry?" his voice came out small.

With a full and innocent smile on her face, the raven winged girl nodded. "You're in hell! Or the Hell of blazing fires right now!" she suddenly made a thinking face. "Um… it kind of weird for me… how did you get here in the first place?"

Naruto fell to the floor. He lost it. Screw going back, forty minutes of walking with this girl and she's already making him lost all the will to return simply by being useless. He buried his face to the ground's warm, dirty surface. He felt like crying, but his man pride is the only thing he had left right now. That, and his knowledge on things. Slowly, while wallowing to bring his body back to his feet, he felt like shouting the writings written in the Uchiha stone tablet in a form of a curse, which would be quite amusing to watch. And experience.

"I don't know, Utsuho…"

"Okuu."

"…We're going with this again?"

"So, what do you want to talk about?" the girl asked, a huge smile plastered to her face like a parasite would to a dirty dog. The way her eyes are sparkling and the way her face shows pure innocence is so… so…

Plain ass weird.

Facepalming, Naruto suppressed a sigh. "I'm going to say it for the last time, okay? Okay." He confirmed it himself, not waiting for an answer. "I came here due to a mistake. I was experimenting on a… on a… technique of some sort and it brought me here." His explanation is not accurate, but that is all what Utsuho needs to know.

The winged girl made a face of realization. "Oh… so that's how it is! Why are you experimenting then?"

She asked him a question…not sure if he wants to answer it. For the sake of talking, he'll say it anyway. "It's because I want to be good in what I'm doing. I want to perfectly master whatever it is that I'm doing." Said the blonde haired Sage to the girl.

"I see…" the girl's face brightens. "Then, now that you're here, what are you going to do?"

…

…

Silent. He's actually silent. So she can ask important questions as well…. Well, that's good to know. Thinking, the blonde ninja haven't really thought on what to do. His first objective was to find someone else here, he found Utsuho. But… she turned out to be like this, so that leaves him the only choice of finding someone else. But who… he doubt that there are people living in a place where it's only rocks and fire. Unless they happen to be fire people.

But… it isn't safe in a way. He doesn't know what kind of place he's in. Utsuho said that he's in hell, and he damn well knows what hell is. He heard parents telling him that hell is a place where bad people goes, they are punished and even tortured for what they've done in life. He's not planning on randomly going into a place where people are suffering, even if they deserve it. At that point, he began to give Utsuho uneasy glances.

Utsuho doesn't strike him as a bad person… but he can never be too careful. Walking in a normal pace, Naruto broke the silence between the two by finally answering the winged girl's question. "I think what I'm going to do first is to find more people. Hey, Utsuho Reiuji Okuu or whatever, are there… people living here?"

"Yup, upstairs and on the surface world!" the girl with the arm cannon like thing answered.

"Upstairs?" he asked.

"Um! Look." His eyes followed the direction at where Utsuho is pointing her finger at. Now, he's seeing a stair. A long ass stair that leads to heaven itself… at least that's what he thought. If it is, then he couldn't believe that irony in that thought. The stairs are long, and the steps seemed steep. Not to mention, this place is leaking water even though there's literally fire below it.

The winged girl take off to the air, she hovered around him. "I'm going to take you to Satori-sama, she might be able to help you Menma." Without even waiting for an answer, she grabbed the man by the arm and took him in flight. Of course, the man was not prepared for such things, this leaves him only with one course of action.

And that is to scream.

"MY NAAAAME IS NOOOOT MENMAAAAA!"

And… why does the name 'Satori' seems familiar?

* * *

Satori Komeiji is having a peaceful day.

That is until one of her pets came barging into her throne room while dragging a pale man. Said man sprung back to life, with an angry look on his face. They're too far, she can't hear their voices quite well. She is both infamous and famous for her ability to read the hearts of people around her. But what people don't know, is that she can also read lips.

'What the heck were you thinking?! I could've died!'

'It's fine wasn't it? You're still alive, Menma.'

'MY NAME IS NARUTO!'

…Is what they're saying over there. The Satori named Satori pinched her temples, if her pet brought someone here, then it means that he's lost or he has questions that needs to be answered. Something tells her that it's both of them. But, things like this are rare, so rare that it never happened before. So, she'll just sit through the whole thing and see how this turns out.

She saw the two approaching her. Coughing to her little fist, the Satori managed a stoic front.

Naruto, still a little bit grumpy at the fact that he was suddenly taken by surprise courtesy of the birdbrain beside him, walks with his arms crossed and his lips murmuring things silently. After a few walks, his eyes took notice of someone sitting on a throne, dressed in a blue blouse with a purple skirt. She has a short purple hair, and is that an eye on her chest? Oh God it blinked at him, quick, act dumb!

"That's not going to work." The purple haired girl muttered bitterly.

Shit. Well, might as well introduced his name.

"No need, you are Menma, are you not?"

"No, I am Naruto Uzumaki…" the blonde is trying his best to not do something bad. Real bad. Even badder than Madara. Did he just seriously thought the word, 'badder'? He's a baaaad boy.

"You're quite talkative aren't you? Both in your mind and mouth." The girl who is sitting on the throne said, confirming. The blonde was about to speak, but Satori beat him to it. "Yes, I can read minds, there is nothing you can hide from me. But don't worry, I won't do it unless it's necessary." There's a sense of honesty in her… the blonde is not sure if he could trust her words.

"Is it me, or are you currently narrating yourself?"

… Fuck it.

"Haaa… anyway, I am sure that you have questions. Or else you won't be here, am I right?" she saw him nod. "Hm. Then, speak."

"Where am I?"

"You are in the palace of the earth spirits, which is located in hell." Satori answered, seemingly to that from a textbook. Naruto was about to ask again, but Satori's hand stopped him. "Let me complete what I have just said. You, an outsider no doubt, is in Gensokyo. This place that you are in is hell, or the underground. There is another place, the place called Gensokyo, we people down here call it the surface world. Does that answer your question?"

He shook his head, hesitatingly.

"Hm, then please, continue."

"Do you know how can I return back to where I came from?" the Sage asked, seriousness in his voice. He's happy that he had finally met someone with an I.Q over thirty, now he can ask all the question he needs.

"I'm afraid not. Though I might know someone who can help…" Satori trailed off. "But, before that, if I may ask, why are you so quick on returning home?"

There is silence in the air, Utsuho, who finds the wall very interesting, is not joining the conversation. Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "I am a busy man. I got here due to an experiment gone wrong, I need to go back. Even if I'm used to being transported to a lot of different places, this is the first time I've actually met someone when I'm… lost." Guess he could call it that.

Satori made a thinking pose. "I see… then, how do you return, usually?"

Naruto made an honest expression. "I don't know, honestly. Usually, I would have to wait for a few minutes, even hours. But, as you can see, I'm still here. I would wait it out but... something tells me that this is even more serious than usual." Naruto's shoulder sullens noticeably. "I just hope that no one enters my apartment right now…"

"…Why? Because you kept a lot of important notes about your study?"

"How did you know that!?" The sage asked demandingly.

Satori allowed a smirk to appear on her face. "I can read minds, remember?"

Naruto gulped. He forgot about that… never mind, he'll just have to deal with it, after all, this woman is helping him… "Anyway, you said that you might know someone who could help me? Where is she or he?" asked the blonde to the Satori.

Satori nodded on her throne. "Indeed. She _might_ be able to help. You see, there are two problems." She raised one finger. "First, she's lazy. She hibernates most of the season. From what I've heard from the people above, she usually wakes when it's spring. Unfortunately for you, it's currently winter up there." she raised a second finger. "Second, she… how should I say this, she is very hard to find. It's impossible for you to find her just like that. The only way for you to meet her is to be approached by the woman herself, or by being extremely lucky. Very, lucky."

The youkai with the third eye resumes her talk. "In short, you won't meet her soon. Or sooner. You will have to wait for a long time." The Satori finished her lengthy one sided explanation. Giving the man a look with a single eye, not counting her third eye, she waits on how to see his reaction. She is not going to ruin his fist impression of her by saying that she expected him to get angry or anything… but being honest hurts, sometimes.

The Uzumaki did not answer, much or less move. He's facing the ground, looking downwards. His long golden bangs shadowed his eyes from her. Satori tried to read the man's mind, but it's to no avail. He's being silent, really silent. He's not thinking, he's not moving. He's still. This went on for a few minutes, silence was not broken. The sound of the wind that came from the above world is the only thing that is present, even Utsuho noticed that something is wrong.

Then, the man finally spoke. "Like hell I'll stay here and do nothing." His voice came out small, but it was enough for Satori to hear it. He raised his head, causing the Satori to show a surprised expression. "I don't plan on waiting until this person wakes up from her sleep. I'll find her, one way or another." The sheer determination in his voice. It's admirable, but even Satori knew that it's impossible to find Yukari.

"Even if you say that, you will still have a hard time finding her." a small smile formed on her face. "Gensokyo is a big place, I'm not saying that I'll stop you from doing whatever it is that you want. But I suggest for you to think this through. Gensokyo is also a dangerous place, especially for an outsider." Her explanation is true. Of course, she meant no offense in the slightest.

Instead of the reaction that she's expecting, the blonde crossed his arms and grinned. "Heh, then it's a good thing that I'm no normal person is it? I can handle myself well, but I agree with you on one thing. I don't know what's out there, and I don't plan on finding out blindly either." He'll be a stupid idiot if he were to do just that. Who knows what's out there. There's a girl with wings and another one with a third eye for God's sake! What's next, a ghost?

Satori smiled openly. "Then it's settled, you're staying here until you've learned enough about Gensokyo."

"What?!" the blonde screamed out in sudden surprise. "I'll be staying here? In hell? Don't tell me that I did something back then…"

The purple haired maiden giggled, covering her lips with her hand to hide her amused smile. "No worries, you did not such things… I think. I am just offering you a place to stay, it is your decision on whether to accept or decline it." The master of the palace of the earth spirits said with a kind smile.

Naruto was taken back. He did not expect for this to turn this way. He was expecting a fight to break through, but guess that he's wrong. And he was wrong to think of the wrong way about Satori… she's actually a nice woman.

The Satori finds herself blushing for whatever reasons. She swears that her heart skipped a beat when she read the blonde's thoughts just now. She averts her gaze from the blonde, but it seems that the man is too deep in thought to notice her doing so. She can feel her face getting warm slightly, but she shook it off a while later.

Coughing to her fist, Satori asked once more. "So, what's your answer?"

"Hehe, isn't it obvious?" Naruto bowed, doing so politely. "I'll be in your care from now on."

Satori felt a little glad for some reason.

"Naruuutooo~ I want to introduce you to a friend of mine!"

Seated in the living room of the palace of the earth spirits, he is reading a scroll that contains his notes on sealing, space-time ninjutsu, and a bunch of other theories involving his studies. He was accepted to stay here, something that shocked him. Satori-san is a kind person, he's sure that he won't just randomly ask a stranger if he wants to stay here just like that. He is in the middle of something important, currently in the fifth paragraph and the four hundred and thirty eight word. But since he's a nice guy, he'll humor the bird girl.

He looked up, without the slightest bit of intention to. He saw Utsuho and another girl with her, the other girl shares a familiar trait with Utsuho. No, she doesn't have wings on her back. But instead, she has a pair of black cat ears and… two tails on her back. The blonde sage blinked. Two tails? Is that normal for cats? Well, he isn't going to put much thought in that. Anyway, the girl has red hair that is tied into twin long braids, her eyes are red with slit pupils. She is dressed in black skirted blouse with designs on them. She also has a friendly smile on her face.

"'Hello, it's nice to meet you. I am Kaenbyou Rin, I am one of Satori-sama's pets." She did a slight but formal bow, the smile still sporting on her face. Naruto returned her greetings with a smile of his own.

"Nice too meet you too… Rin. I'm Naruto Uzumaki, the awesomest person on earth." Jabbing a thumb to his chest, he huffed with pride.

Utsuho blinked. "Wait, aren't you a sage, Menma?" the girl with the two pair of bird wings asked.

"Even though I'm a sage that doesn't mean that I can't be the awesomest person on earth." A giant tick mark appeared on his forehead, his hear flaring dangerously. "And I just introduced my name for God's sake, try to remember it dammit!"

The red haired Kasha laughed, she slung one of her arms to her fellow pet's neck with a grin on her face. "Don't worry about that Bro, Okuu forgets everything in three steps, so that is near impossible. See this… Hey Okuu, Satori-sama asked you to bring her a cup of water." She tapped the bird girl on the shoulder with her hand that is she is using to support her weight on Okuu with.

The bird girl nodded as if enthusiastic to carry out her master's order. "Alright! I'll go and grab Satori-sama her drink!"

Utsuho stepped away from her previous spot, letting go of Rin's hand intentionally.

First step.

She then, with a smile, makes the kitchen as her objective.

Second step.

Finally, she stepped on the floor for the third time.

Third step.

"Wow! This painting is nice, Orin, where did we get it again?"

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

The two tailed Kasha snickered, trying not to laugh too hard. She approached the seated man, and patted his back. "See? You'll just have to get used to her like I do." She continues, albeit softer. "After all, she wasn't always like this in the first place…" it was a rather unmissable sight for the sage. His eyes could easily read the Kasha's expression like an open book. After all, he is too fond of fake smiles.

Standing up, he startled the red haired girl with cat ears. "Well…" he scratched the crown of his golden mane of a hair. "I may not know what happened to her to cause her to be like this but… I'm sure that I'll get used to her attitude, though I won't guarantee it." Flashing a Cheshire grin, the blonde turned his head to Rin.

The red haired Kasha returned an identical grin to the man. "Hehe, I'll bet that it'll take you longer than I do." She then focused her attention to the bird girl who is apparently still viewing the painting as if it was never there in the first place, it was there in the first place in case if somebody's wondering.

Naruto dismissed the grin on his face, replacing it with a still and blank yet calm expression. He eyed the scene in front of him, and he can't help but feel waves of nostalgia hitting him right in the back of his skull.

"…Is that it or it's me suddenly appearing behind you?"

The Satori named after her own species said out after having to hear the man's thoughts. She floats down, her feet touching the matted floor of the palace. She is standing at an appropriate distance, not too near and most definitely not too far. Her eyes, including her third one, are focused on the man, or his form to be exact. She raised an eyebrow, curious to hear his answer to the question that she asked earlier.

The sage did not act or was surprised in the slightest. He did not even move nor flinched. His answer to her question is silence… until… "So that's why…" the blonde trailed off, seemingly to have remembered something. He finally turns his back, a small knowing smile on his face. "I thought that you are familiar… it turns out I've met something that is similar to you a long time ago."

If she was curious before, now she is surprised. She was about to speak, but Naruto beat her to it. "You can not only read my mind, but also my heart, yes?" he asked. He noticed the reaction from Satori, and it was the one that he was expecting for her to show. Surprise, shock. "Then… you know why I hate people who fake their smile."

"Are you saying that it is wrong for someone to hide beneath good intentions?"

"Nope. I mean, I can't exactly say something against that. I'm a ninja, I hide to kill. I know when I see someone who is faking at first glance…" his eyes trailed from Satori to the Kasha who is having a rather happy conversation with Utsuho. "And it seems that it's not only you the one who show their fake side to others…" he rolled his scroll, sealing it shut. "Now then… I'm hungry, when will dinner start?"

Just like that, the mood is lifted up once more. Satori, being forced to deal with the new change of mood, replied. "We've prepared dinner already, I'll be waiting in the dining room first. Have Okuu and Orin come with you too when you are done here." She then floats to the air, disappearing into a far corner.

"She noticed… what a sharp woman…" Naruto muttered silently. He sealed his scroll into a storage seal tattoo that he had imprinted on his arm. Looking on place where he was seated before, he left two scrolls on the sofa. Both are sealed… but he's sure that he had them with him before. Did he do that unconsciously or what? He did not even notice that his eyes are narrowing.

Well, no use in thinking further. "Hey you furry twins, your master said that dinner is ready."

"Oh! Orin, dinner is ready, dinner is ready!"

"Yes, yes… no need to get too excited Okuu."

Something tells him that he'll enjoy his stay here…

* * *

"So… mind telling me why are there a lot of people with… not so people-ish traits here?"

Seated in the dining chair, he is currently having dinner with the resident of the palace. There is Okuu, of course she's here. She's enjoying a bowl of rice with raw eggs on top, what a weird choice of food but as long as she's happy her master's fine with it. The Kasha is enjoying her fried fish and rice, she's avoiding the soup, maybe waiting for it to cool down. The mistress of the palace I enjoying a bowl of rice with breaded fillet fish, a rather foreign dish. As for him, he's having rice and tofu. Why? He sees no reason in eating too much, and he's not that hungry to begin with.

The silent atmosphere is seriously killing him, not literally though. It's just that he can't stand the silence with only Utsuho's eating noise as a background sound. The man is stabbing his rice with his chopsticks, to be honest, he isn't even hungry now. Maybe it was the sudden interest in finding out more about this place that caused the loss of appetite. He looked to Satori for answers, the woman is still in the middle of eating dinner, mind you.

She placed her chopsticks on the dining table's flat surface. She gave the blonde a small glare, showing her dissatisfaction. "Naruto-san, we're eating. Please, save the talk for later." She seems serious… that or she just doesn't want anyone to bother her when she's eating. But regardless, he better respect her.

"Well, fine. I've finished mine so I'll be waiting in the living room. Excuse me…" he stands from his place, pushing the chair back into the table. Satori and Rin stared unblinkingly at the now empty rice bowl that the man was using to eat from. They are one hundred percent sure that it was still half full a second or two before.

"H-How did he…?" Rin managed to wonder out, but no one there knows the answer.

"Never mind about that, Orin." The Satori said, picking out rice from her bowl with her chopsticks. "Finish your dinner first, and then we will talk."

The Kasha did as what her master instructed of her. She got back on eating, this time quicker. "Yes Satori-sama."

As for Okuu… well, is it really necessary to explain about it through text?

Satori finally finished her dinner, she placed her bowls and cups in the sink to wash for later. Rin and Utsuho are waiting on the living room along with Naruto. She exits the kitchen to walk to the living room, as she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of both of her pets and her guest sitting on the same sofa. Closely. As in shoulders touching and all that.

"Whoa… so this little paper things can make things explode?"

"Yup, and what's more, it'll be awesome if the one were to do is someone as awesome as me!"

"Wow, that's some good toy you have there bro."

From the looks of it, the three are having a normal conversation. It is the matter of topic that interests Satori. That paper like thing that her guest is holding is similar to Reimu's ofudas, albeit with a different seal. She doesn't know much about seals but if it can explode, he'll be very dangerous in danmaku. Ah… that's right, they'll have a talk about this right now… she better find a good way of explaining things to this outsider guest of hers.

"Ahem." The Satori coughed to her fist as she takes a seat at the opposite side of the blonde. All three present noticed her, and Naruto puts his paper tag back in his pouch. Okuu and Orin joined their master, taking the available place right by their master's side. She gave the man a certain look. "Now… we can talk. Please, ask me what is it that you need to know about this place. But of course, even I too can't answer so much."

With that said, the sage began thinking on what he's going to ask.

"This place is Gensokyo, a place where humans and Youkais learn to coexist together. In short, it's a place where people and Youkai live."

…dammit, he forgot that she can read minds…

"You should've remembered it by now."

Don't rub salt to the wound!

Sighing deeply, Naruto regained his seriousness once more. "Anyway… aside from that, I've been meaning to ask… what is a Youkai?"

At that question, all the three females' eyes widen simultaneously. Satori dismissed her state of shock faster than her two pets. "That will be hard to answer… then… it's a little bit difficult since the term is dynamic yet simple…" Satori closed her two eyes. "Youkais are beings like… me, Orin and Okuu. We are not human, though we may appear human. Did you get that?"

"…Surprisingly, yeah. In short, you lot are demons, right?"

…

"Yes, that is also a term bu-"

Naruto cut in before the Satori could finish her statement. A knowing smile on his face. At that point, Satori did not need to see his heart to know what he is feeling. He's feeling a relation… a relation in being called such things. "Nah, that's just what the biased people think, ain't it?" the blonde gave them a foxy grin.

Being unable to speak, Satori could only stare. At first, she thought of the man being similar to the other humans who live up on the surface. But it seems that she was wrong. Satori could swear that from the moment he said the word demon, her blood boil. It is something that even she does not know. But… how… how can he relate to that feeling of being called such things? From that point, Satori could not read what the man is thinking. She could not predict anything. This man is jumbled up… the moment he came her, he was like a neutral party, friendly due to her hospitality in having him as a guest. But now… he's like someone who has lived here for a long amount of time.

It feels as if he knew her just by simply looking at her face. Or… is it her face that he's looking?

After a long amount of silence, Satori finally speak again. "Then… let's move on. There are things that needs to be known when living in Gensokyo." She stood silence. "I know that you have experience in combat, but it will all be slightly different from here and on. We solve and settle our disputes with danmaku. Danmaku is a form of duel that has been established by the Shrine Maiden herself," she read Naruto's thoughts. "She is like the peacekeeper here in Gensokyo. Moving on, danmaku involves the both participants to shoot and give out whatever attack they have at their disposal. The rules are simple. One, it must be beautiful and two, both parties can never have hard feelings if it's their first time fighting."

"Hm…" the blonde droned out. "So, it's a system here?"

"Indeed." Satori nodded. "It works as a system so that humans and Youkais could have a fair, but not square, fight with each other. The thought of having a Youkai going all out against a human who couldn't do anything is indeed worrisome alone…" Satori finished her explanation.

"But what if both participants have hard feelings for each other, how would that turn out?" asked the blonde haired sage.

"In another duel of course." Satori answered without missing a beat. "I alone am not sure why would that second one applies to, but if it's there… then there is a reason for it." She stood in silence, waiting for Naruto to ask another question. She'll refrain from reading the man's thoughts, since he basically speak his thoughts in the first place. "Is there anything else that you would like to ask?"

"No. I like this place, and I hope that I'll be able to go around and explore more." The ninja rubbed the underside of his nose, giving a smile. "To be honest, I'm a little bit jealous of how you people are having it right here… back from where I can from, peace is nothing but a fleeting dream."

It may be their imagination, but Satori and her two pets could swear that the room temperature dropped exceedingly. And they're in hell for that matter. The atmosphere returned to its normal and silent one, with Naruto still smiling. Behind that smile of his… Satori wonders, what kind of face is he making?

"Anyway…" the man yawned loudly, his eyes looking sleepy. "Is it bedtime yet? I'm really sleepy. I haven't slept for two days, since I'm a busy person after all." He said to the palace owner. He's busy because he's testing out few sample seals when he's back in Konoha, now that he's here… he can't do much aside from reading notes or just to do some training and meditating. But if he ever got the chance to go to the surface world, he'll do it without doubt.

But for now, he needs rest. He's sleepy as heck…

"Very well. I will have Orin to show you where you will be sleeping… Okuu, don't forget to stabilize the heating compression for tonight's heater. It's winter outside after all." She stands from seat, walked away from the sofa towards the corridor's direction. She then stopped, her neck turning to face the blonde. "I trust that you will refrain from doing what you're good at, right?"

…

…

"Hmph." Instead of a look of annoyance, Naruto gave her a sly smile. "Why don't you read my mind to find out? Oh wait, you did." Hu chuckled. "Don't worry, I don't have any intention to cause trouble any time soon… but that doesn't mean that I won't return the favor any time soon." He shrugged his shoulders. "The people here seem like a nice bunch, I'm sure that I won't have anything to do aside from getting to know them well."

"Oh, one more thing Satori-san."

Satori raised an eyebrow.

"You're free to read my mind, heart whatever, but please… turn a blind eye if I do something reckless and that you'll know it coming." For a moment, his eyes are deadly. Deadlier than a Youkai's. But what's scarier, it's that she saw her very own reflection in those eyes… that brought uneasiness for her.

"Now, Bro, I'll show you to your room. Come on!"

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

"Bye Menma, have a good night sleep!"

"It's Naruto!"

The night will be peaceful… but the same cannot be said for the day tomorrow.

* * *

Heavy… is the first thing he thought as soon as he opened his eyes. He feels something heavy on his chest, or body for that matter. It's heavy, yet not as heavy as any object that he could think off. A chair is light, but this sensation… it's even lighter than that. Of course, he's not dreaming. He's fully aware when he's dreaming or not. So this could only mean one thing…

He's having a lucid dream.

Damn, and this is his first time too… well, guess there's always a first time for everything. He shook it off, going to sleep again.

"Onii-san~ wakey, wakey~"

So having a lucid dream affects his audiovisuals too… interesting. That's nice to know.

"If you don't wake up… then… I'll have to ki-iss-you."

Okay… this is not a dream.

His eyes snapped open, all bloodshot, their usual azure color gone. His first sight in the morning is… well, a girl's ass. No, not bare, a clothed girl's ass. She's wearing panties, green ones with a kuma picture on it too. If he's seeing a girl's ass first thing in the morning then… he knows what position he's in.

"IF YOU'RE GOING TO KISS SOMEONE DO IT ON THEIR LIPS!"

First thing in the morning, he managed to do a tsukkomi. He's truly a talented man.

Strangely, he finds himself unable to move. No matter how hard he tries, his arms, legs and even head won't budge an inch. All he can do is speak, hear and see. With a frustrated grunt, he desperately tries to escape the situation he's in. But after fruitless efforts, he decided to give up. "Oi, bear panties loli. Who're you?"

"Me? I'm Ko-i-shi, O-nii-san.~"

"Stop speaking like that, it's… disgustingly cute." An honest statement there.

"Hehehe…" a giggle was released from his capturer's mouth. He can feel her shifting over to his face, meaning that she is bringing those… sacred flesh closer to his face. "You're funny Onii-san… how about you be my Onii-san, hm? I'm cute aren't I?"

Naruto made a flat look. "No, no. At least show me your face first before you say that." After all, it's not every day that you'd meet someone… panties first. "And if I have to say anything about your choice of underwear… I'll say that frills will definitely make it cuter." Now why on earth did he say something like that? He's saying what he's thinking, is he doing this subconsciously?

"Eh…?~ really?~ then I'll go and change them, be right back, Onii-san!~"

And just like that, he's awake.

He launched off bed with a huge gasp. His chest is heaving. Looking around, he finds himself in the room that he was sleeping in. Nothing seems to be out of the ordinary, not even a girl's ass. He sighed in fortunate relief. So that was a dream after all, but it felt so real… he shook his head, dismissing the thoughts. Maybe he's still sleepy…

The man glanced sideways, towards a mirror that is placed on the wall. He saw his reflection, and needless to say, he needs to get up and wash his face. His hair is a mess, and there's drool trailing down the corner of his lips. Rubbing his tired eyes, he made his best effort on trying not to be sleepy for the rest of the day. Even though he's sleepy, he feels excited at the same time. He can't wait to go outside and see what this Gensokyo looks like, maybe it'll be beautiful, or maybe it'll be ugly. Who knows? Well, the people here knows but he ain't gonna ask them that since it's too embarrassing.

Even so, he better get up. He can't wait to keep the ladies waiting. He puts on his jacket, his haori and headband. Exiting the room, he is now standing inside a hallway. If his memories are right, then the living room will be to the right, the kitchen's to the left. He'll try the kitchen first, then the living room.

Taking the left turn, he proceeded along the hallway to reach the kitchen. After a short walk, he finally reached the kitchen… only to find it empty. Yeah, great. Maybe he should've checked the living room first. Getting a little downcasted, he was saved by a voice.

"Oh, Menma, you're awake already?"

…Or annoyed. Annoyed by a familiar voice first thing in the morning. The blonde haired man glared bitterly at the Yatagarasu. "I'm not even gonna bother with saying something about that." Of course, he is ignored to which caused his further annoyance. But Naruto doesn't give it much of a thought, so he dismissed it. "Anyway, good morning Utsuho." He gave the girl a small lay wave.

"Okuu."

"Utsuho."

"Utsu- Aww you got me there…"

Damn right.

"Ahem, anyway… where's everybody?" the palace seemed a little quiet, though he's not sure if every day is like this for the residents here. The kitchen seems peaceful, not even a single sound seems to come from here. He did not even sense any presence from the hallways before. He's able to do it since he's a naturally good sensor, and Youkais seem to be a giant beacons to him. They don't have chakra per say, but they emit energy that is so dense that he was able to sense them so easily.

The bird girl he's currently talking with is no exception. Instead, she's the one with the stronger energy between Satori and that cat girl. Maybe it's just the way things are in here. Utsuho shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, I was trying to find Orin but she's not here. And Satori-sama's nowhere to be found." She begins to panic. "What should I do Menma?"

"You're asking me?! And the name's Naruto for hell's sake!" he pinched the bridge of his nose, shutting his eyes in irritation. This girl gets to his mind and nerve at the same time. "You… just don't panic for a sec, okay?" he saw her nod. "Good, now how big is this place?" he asked. It might seems silly but he's going to go for an area check.

"…Uh… I don't know the exact area but the palace is big. The kitchen, the living room are not even ten percent of the palace. We still have the underground chambers, the chicken coop, the plumbing room downstairs and the corridors on the west and north wing of the palace." The hell raven finished explaining, with a thinking position. She has her hand cupping her chin, and her eyes are looking at the ceiling.

"R-Really?" he finds his voice surprised. "Wow… that's actually pretty impressive." The living room alone is large, about ten times the size of his apartment. The kitchen is bigger than the living room in the main house of the Uchiha compound, which alone covers three times his apartment room. And there are still hallways? North and West wing? This place might actually be bigger than the palace in the Crescent moon kingdom… he was never one to find difficulty in finding people, but even with the help of his clones, it will take a lot of time finding two people in this huge ass palace. Not to mention, he know nothing of this place. And the only guide he has is technically… forgetful. Then that settles to one thing, Sage Mode.

"Hey Utsuho, do you have anything that relates to your master?" he turned his head to look at the girl. He can see the confusion crossing the girl's face. Looks like he needs to say it in a simpler term. "Or things that your master owns? Things that Satori-san have with her often?"

While Utsuho is thinking, he needs to prepare his body for Sage Mode. He hadn't been meditating much lately, and it affects his use in Sage Mode greatly. Meditating trains his body and mind so that they will accept the nature chakra that will enter his body. He used to meditate much, so finding two people won't be too much of a problem.

"Well… I have her panties with me…"

"!#! %#!~!?"

Utsuho rummages through the pocket of her skirt, she then brought out a bundle of pink cloth. His cheeks flared up the moment he saw the fabric, why the hell would she have something like that with her!? The bird girl unfolds the piece of cloth to reveal that it is indeed a pair of panties. The blonde's jaw is literally on the ground, his eyes wide as flying saucers. He pointed a shaky finger at the winged girl, the shakiness spreads to his body.

What caused his jaw to drop further is the fact that Utsuho sniffed it. "Hm… it seems to be used." She waved the panties to the ninja. "Here it is Menma! You better return it to me or Satori-sama will get mad if her panties are gone."

"DON'T WAVE THAT THING AT ME!" that shock turned to a short rage. "How in the hell did you have that in the first place?!" he did not hold back right there. the blonde is curious, scared and annoyed at the same time. He saw two pairs of girl panties today, one in his dreams and one right now. He prefer the one in the dream since there's no way that Satori cou-

Shit! He forgot that she can read minds!

Now he's in real deep shit… Utsuho noticed the panicked state that the man is in. "Hey Menma, what's wrong?"

"Nothing… just… peachy, peachy…" the man muttered, not looking at Utsuho in the face.

"Peachy? You want some peaches? We have some in the kitchen, oh wait we are in the kitchen! Let me get-"

"No, Utsuho don't get distracted!" the girl stopped on her third step. "N-Never mind, you forgot what you're going to do anyway…"

"What are you talking about? I was going to wash my hands."

"…That proves my point. Anyway, here… give me the panties…" he looked away, red in the face but his hand is reaching for a certain sacred treasure.

"GASP! You were thinking of something to do with Satori-sama's panties?! How could you Naruto?!" The Yatagarasu pointed an accusing finger at the man. Her face is showing shock and anger, strange…

"DON'T MAKE THIS GUILTIER THAN IT'S SUPPOSED TO FOR ME!" multiple tick marks are appearing on his forehead. "And it was you who's with the panties, not me!" he can't help but angry. "Just give it to me so that we can find Satori-san and Rin quick." She hand him the piece of cloth, to which he take hesitantly. "Gulp… I'm so going to hell for this, oh wait I'm in hell already." He muttered bitterly.

He'll do this quick and without thinking about it too much. Closing his eyes, Naruto began concentrating. He began to gather whatever natural energy there is in this place. It's taking a slow process, but it's working. He waits for a few seconds more, and after he feels being completely filled with natural energy, he opened his eyes, showing their yellow and horizontal black pupil with orange like mascara on his eyelids. With the… panties at his hand, he traced the source of Satori's energy. It will be easier if he have direct contact with Satori, but he's not going to touch her with a reason like 'I need to touch you so that I'll be able to find you'. That's waaaay too creepy.

"Ah, found her." he suddenly said, getting Utsuho's attention.

"Really? Wow! That is so cool, can you teach me that?" well she's excited… but no, he can't.

"Sorry, I can't, it's only for awesome people like me only…" he forcefully placed the panties into Utsuho's hands. "There keep it, I'm going to be found out either way but I'll have you hold that. Now that we've found the person, follow me." He motioned for the girl to follow him with his hand.

They walked the hallways, with Naruto leading. He felt Satori's presence coming from here earlier, and he knows that it can't be a mistake. He's leading the both of them into a long hallway, they entered yet another hallway, and another, and another. The whole thing irritates the man, seeing that it is taking so long to reach wherever they are heading.

In the end… they got to Satori anyway.

"About time you arrived here, Naruto."

The man noticed another presence with Satori, he looked to the right and his jaw dropped instantly.

Light silver greenish hair, large black hat with yellow ribbon, dressed in a yellow blouse with buttons and a light green skirt, wears boots and a closed third eye. She… she… she's…

"Ah, who is she?" a seriously clueless expression donned his face.

Satori blinked. "Oh, I forgot to introduce you." She placed her hands on the other girl's shoulders, a small hint of affection could be detected. "She is Koishi Komeiji, she is my sister." The purple haired Satori introduced her sister to the only male in the room. "Say hi to Naruto, Koishi."

The girl with the hat nodded, she walked over to Naruto and grabbed clasped his hands together, a large smile on her face. "Hello there Onii-san, my name's Koishi, let's get to know each better, o~kay~?" she smiled sweetly, for once time melted into rainbows and sunshine. The hand that is holding Naruto's hands is warm, almost too warm.

"Okay… please take care of me…" somehow… he felt like he met her from somewhere… her voice is familiar too. But where, he hadn't seen anyone like her in his life. He'll be surprised if he ever. Not to mention, she's- the blonde immediately stopped all thoughts. He can feel an eye watching over him… he wants to look at said source of the staring, but he can't bring himself to do it. He gulped down air, smiling with the same manner of brightness in return to Koishi's smile.

"Waah… Oh yeah!" Koishi had the look of someone who had just realized or remembered something very important. She let go of Naruto's hands, and flipped her skirt up, causing all people present, sans Utsuho to do a spit take over nothing. The one who is shocked out of the two is Naruto, because he finally remembered who this person is. He is seeing panties for the third time today, this time is a different one. This one has frills on it, it's green and a cute little bow is placed on the front.

Koishi gave Naruto a toothy grin, something that a young girl would do when they're trying to impress someone. "I changed my underwear just like you've said, Onii-san! And it's even cuter than the previous one, thank you!" she thanked, glomping the man right in the chest but not able to make him fall.

"Oh yeah!" Utsuho shared the same reaction as Koishi before, she bumped her fist into her other palm. "Naruto, what you did before was awesome and cool! I didn't know that you can find Satori-sama just by using her panties!" Utsuho waved out a familiar purple cloth. That course of action brought multiple reactions. Fear from Naruto, and humiliation from Satori.

The purple haired Satori slowly brought a palm to her derriere, she touched and flinched. "Kyaaah!" she jumped a good two feet into the air, before landing into the floor on her pantiless butt. Her face is a total mess, she's red, no, she's crimson with embarrassment. She has a mixture of embarrassment and anger, she directed the latter to the male who is a panicking wreck while being hugged by her sister.

"N-No, look, see here Satori-san, I-"

"Enough. You asked me to turn a blind eye over something that you might do in the future… but this…" he could see the visible purple aura radiating from Satori. Her third eye is twitching like crazy, it even has veins pulsating to show anger. Satori walked slowly towards the man, he can't escape since Koishi's grip is pretty tight. By each step, he could feel his impending doom coming closer and closer, he can't even stop his body from shaking.

"Mah… I wonder… what will your heart look like." Her eyes glow red, and it's pure anger. Naruto swear that he saw a demon mask behind Satori with blood dripping from its eyes. "Come… let me see it…"

"No, wait, GAAAAAAAAAH!"

* * *

**With Orin…**

* * *

"Phew, Satori-sama is too cruel to make me do all the carrying alone…"

You're the lucky one in this story so far Orin… and Okuu but she's dumb so it's loss for her.

* * *

The days are always filled with noise and cheerful teasing in the palace of the earth spirit. Their newest guest, the male, Naruto Uzumaki, has already formed a strong relationship with the people of the palace of the earth spirits. It was eventful, and the man has to be honest because he is having a lot of fun spending time with the people here.

At first, it was awkward. But the more time he spent with Okuu, Orin, Koishi and even Satori… the closer he is with them. Naruto also learnt a few things about them. Things like… Spell Cards, Old hell, Incidents, and other mentionable things. Utsuho is probably the one closest one to him, Koishi too. Rin and Satori is comfortable with him around, but Satori is sometimes strict when it comes to Naruto. She frequently reminded her sister and pets that a man still has his inner desire running through their veins.

In other words, she's telling them that he's a horny dog.

Irritated, he may be. But mad? No. In fact, Naruto has to agree with Satori's statement. A man has his desires, be it good or bad, the man will do anything in his power to achieve it. The only thing that is unknown is the consequence, the man will have to bear the consequence in the end. That's probably the only thing that is stopping most men to get what they want. And they've become lazy. Satori is just wary of him… but he wished that she could open up to him more… maybe it's too much to ask. But he just can't stand of a having a half baked relationship with her.

He is close with the other remaining three, Utsuho, Rin and Koishi. Even closer than friends, they're like his sisters. But Satori… she's doubting. She's doubting on their own relationship. He can't say anything for sure, but if he has to… is that Satori is afraid. She's very afraid. He don't know what or who is she afraid of, he's not the one with the mind reading ability here after all.

But things are fine, he likes it the way it is and he's sure that the girls are also content with the way things are. And he's not going to do anything as careless as to ruin whatever it is that they are enjoying right now. Koishi likes to tease him, he's fine with it as long as she doesn't go overboard. Utsuho is… well, she's Okuu, what do you expect? Rin is nice, she helps a lot around the palace, he also helps with some duties that he is allowed to do and she is always there to help. The lot here are weird, different than the people that he knows but he's fine with it.

"Are you done with the dishes, Bro?" Rin, the Kasha, asked as she stirs the steaming pot of soup for tonight's dinner. She felt the man walking towards her, and a warm palm on the top of her head. Her ears twitched in delight when the hand made a motion to stroke the crown of her head. "Ehehe… stop it Bro, I'm cooking."

The man who is doing the affectionate action chuckled, he strokes the red haired Kasha's head softly. "Heh, then I'll be expecting a delicious dinner tonight." Dinner is usually cooked by Satori, but they're doing a routine turn starting from yesterday. It is now his fourth day in the palace, and in those days, he felt peace. True peace. Konoha provides the most excellent form of peace, but because only it is home. He worked his ass off to protect Konoha, he deserves peace. But this place… not his home, merely a place where he is staying for who knows how long.

Speaking of staying… he is still working on trying to get a special seal working. A seal that will surely return him back to his home. He's not a hundred percent sure if he is confident on this, but he has to. Even though he enjoys it here… this place is not home. But that doesn't mean that he won't miss Orin, Okuu, Koishi and even Satori. He hates to admit it but… he doesn't want that time to come, the time where he has to say his farewells.

"Well, then, if anyone's looking for me, I'll be in the living room. And do please tell me when food is ready." He said to the red haired cat girl, patting her head one last time.

"Okay." The Kasha nodded with a smile.

Naruto returned her a smile of his own, before proceeding to the living room. Walking, he has his hands inside his pockets. With a lot in his mind, he walks aimlessly through the hallways of the palace. He wonder, will it be best to leave without saying anything? Or is it better to say it out right now? As a shinobi, he prefers the first one. But as a human being… he is choosing on the second choice. Maybe it's best to think about this later, or else he'll hurt his own brain from thinking too much.

He reached the living room and was surprised to see both the Komeiji sisters present. The first one to notice and act is Koishi, her face brightens at the sight of the male. She floats over to him and clung her body against his, a daily thing. Naruto is a little bit afraid, since he is used to this by now. "Onii-san!"

The so called Onii-san smiled. He looked down on the girl who is hugging his abdomen. "Hello there too Koishi-chan, can you please let me go? I need to do something important now." He gave Satori a look, something that is known only to both of them.

Koishi made a displeased expression. "Eh~? Is that so… then it can't be helped, I'll be outside, bye bye Onii-san, Onee-chan~" she disappears, as if to fade away slowly right before their very eyes. Naruto could never get rid of the curiosity on how do Koishi managed to do that. The room is now empty, with only two people in it. Silence ruled for a brief moment, it was then broken.

"… I know." That was all that Satori said, not looking at Naruto.

Naruto did the same courtesy of not looking at her. He managed a wry smile, not feeling like laughing. "Hm. Of course, you can read what I'm thinking after all…" he trailed off.

"But knowing is different." The Satori then finally look at the man. "Tell me, why so soon?" asked the Satori to the man. There is a slightest hint of worry in her tone, but there's nothing to prove it.

"I… don't know." His voice is nothing more than a whisper. "But if I have to say something, is that I need to return home. I still have my studies, my friends, my dreams…" he trailed off.

At that moment, Satori felt as if she was stabbed by billion of knives right at her heart. She did not even know that her palms are now fists, they are shaking. "I see… then, there's nothing that I could do about that." She closed her two eyes. "I wonder… what would Okuu and Orin, even my sister, think if you were to leave without saying as much a goodbye?"

…

"Ouch, you hurt me there." Naruto waved his hands, but that joking tone of his is not so humor-filled as much as before. He sighed, lowering his hands. "I don't know, tell me. What would they thought of if I leave without saying anything?" again, she is the one with the mind reading power here.

"I may be able to read minds, but I can't predict the future." That came of not as a warning, but as an answer. "I can't say for sure, but they will feel sad. Really sad."

"Then what about you?"

She was not expecting that. With her eyes wide, Satori could only utter, "Huh?"

"What would you feel I leave just like that? Would you be… sad too?" he asked the Satori. "I'm just… curious, if you don't mind." He scratched the back of his neck with a sheepish grin expressed on his face.

Satori is truly surprised. She was not expecting a question such as that, ever. She knows what Naruto is thinking, but she can never know how he would speak it out. It's a truly new experience for her, to know a man such as the one that she is seeing right now. She has to admit, it's not that he is selfish… but she knows that he is doing this for the better. After all, he is only human. Satori knew that humans are such… selfish beings. They can do whatever they want, but they won't care for the consequences in the slightest. But Naruto… for her, he is different. He knows the consequences, but he is still facing it.

He could leave right now if he wants to… but he didn't. That alone proves that he is a selfish, yet selfless man at the same time. He cared about Okuu, he cared about Orin and he also cared about her sister. Or else, he could've done what he was planning to do in the first place, leave without saying a word. But he don't…

Satori smiled. She disappeared from her place, causing the man to widen his eyes. Then she reappeared, right in front of him, in a close distance. Very close. She reached for his hand and grabbed it. There is a huge difference, his palms are bigger and stronger. His skin is rougher, and he most definitely cuts his nails when it needs to be. She grasped his hand with both of her smaller hands, nestling it close to her nose, softly and affectionately rubbing it.

This course of events shocked the blonde, he finds himself unable to move.

Satori sighed, her warm breath hitting his palm. "Naruto Uzumaki… before I answer you your question, I also have a question of my own for you…" she slowly pushed his hand away from her face, but never letting go. "What… what do you feel for…

_Me_

…For us?" she asked.

…

"I…" the man started, unsure of what to say. Like hell he could say anything like this, this is so sudden! What could he say, what could he think? What could he do?

"A lot of things. You can say, think and do a lot of things." A smile formed on Satori's face, slowly.

Satori…

"Yes?" she asked.

"I… I… I feel…" his voice seems to have returned, slowly making him able to speak once again.

"I feel that… you lot here are… precious."

Like a drop of water to a pond, his words rand through Satori's ears. She felt a hand cupping her chin, her gaze was forced to look up, right straight into his eyes. She felt vulnerable, she felt bare in his gaze. It's as if his gaze alone could read her, both body and mind. She saw him smile.

"Especially you, for some reason. It's weird since I spend most of my times here with your pets and sister, but… I felt something that I don't feel with them when I'm with you…" he said, his words soft. "I don't know what it is, but I'm sure you do… after all, you are the one who I consider special."

His words… it's not, 'The one with the mind reading ability' anymore… instead, it was 'The one who I consider special'.

Satori… is… She… she don't even know what to feel. But one thing… she does indeed feel very special. Because she is alone with the man that has captivate her heart, her mind. The man that she will only set her eyes on…

A mellowed and soft smile is the only thing present on Satori's face. She brought his hand closer again, this time holding it close to her cheeks. "Now… I believe that it's my time to answer your question. What would I feel… if you left without saying anything…" she trailed off.

"I love you. I love you, even if you left, it won't change. I'll still love you even if you disappear, even if you're gone." She said. "But I'll be really, really sad if you did it. I'll be angry too… ehe…" a squeak escaped her lips when a pair of strong and bigger arms wrapped themselves around her, pushing her body close to Naruto.

"Silly girl… that was too much, you're making me blush…" indeed he is, his face is slightly red, but he managed to keep a smile on.

"Then what do you think you're making me feel right now?" Satori asked from where she is, in his arms.

"I don't know…" the man said while hugging the girl's small frame softly. She's so fragile… he's afraid that he might break her.

"…Baka…" he felt a small fist hitting his sides.

Naruto chuckle, one of his hands rubbing the girl's head. "Sorry, I can't help but forget that you can read minds…"

"Baka… you should've remembered now…" she nuzzles her face closer to his chest, a content smile on her face.

The two shared their warmth alone in the living room, feeling their happiness becoming one.

* * *

"So… you're really going?"

"Eh~? You're leaving, Onii-san?"

"Bro…"

"Menma, you're leaving?"

"Yeah, yes, yup and I still don't believe that you still hadn't got my name until now." Dead panned the man in the end.

In the end… farewell is a must. Standing on the main chamber of the reactor, right where Naruto met Utsuho, the group of five are having a rather personal moment. The palace dwellers have their own thoughts to say, but they are all sharing the same thing. Sadness. They're sad that Naruto will leave, they hoped that he will stay longer. But still… this is to be expected.

Naruto has a wistful expression, he also feeling… different than normal. "Heh, so this is it eh?"

Silence… the sound of flickering flames are the only thing that's audible. Naruto smiled. "But for whatever it's worth… I'm happy that I got to meet you guys, -GUFAFFAUUUUW!"

"Uwaaaah Menma, don't go!"

"I'M NARUTO DAMMIT!"

"Bro! don't go!"

"Gah!"

"Onii-san take me with you!"

The three girl launched themselves, each of them grabbing into the man with whatever strength they could muster. It gives off a rather amusing sight, since Satori is giggling. She did not see this coming, after all, she can't see the future. She felt warmness in her heat, she really do not want to see this sight being absent in her daily life. She never thought that such a silly sight would affect her deeply…

"Aw to hell with it. I love you Naruto!" the Komeiji Satori jumped and join her family in hugging the man. Cries of outrages quickly turns to laughter, their smile never and will never seems to disappear.

* * *

**Epilogue…**

* * *

"Satori-sama? Where are we going?"

"Orin, Okuu, Koishi, we are going to meet up with Yukari Yakumo. Please, be in your best behavior." The family of four is flying on the sky of the outside world. It is simply as Satori said, they are going to meet Yukari Yakumo. But what's on everyone's mind is, why? Why are they going to meet Yukari Yakumo? It's rare for the Satori and the gap youkai to meet up in the first place, so it is no wonder if the others are thinking of the same thing.

Orin is the one who is more conscious about this, since she knows her master well. Yukari never visit the palace, unless if it is for something very important.

Okuu is… well, she's following because her master said so.

Koishi is in the middle between Orin and Okuu. She is interested, confused and she is here because her sister asked her too. If not, she will be at the shrine of Moriya right now.

The group of family was at halt when Satori stopped. Rin, Utsuho and Koishi landed when Satori landed. They are now standing on an empty clearing in the morning light. Upon landing, they all noticed a figure standing in the middle with them. it's a woman with a long blonde hair, similar but somehow not as beautiful as a certain man's, she is dressed in a purple dress with frills design. She has a matching purple parasol to shadow her from the sun. The woman is none other than Yukari Yakumo, she waved at the group.

"Yoho!~ I'm here as you asked me, Satorin." She said to the purple haired Satori who had a bitter expression on her face when she heard what the woman called her.

"Don't call me that woman." She warned the woman distastefully. "Anyway, let us proceed now, shall we?"

"Ufufufu…" Yukari giggled, her feature unreadable due to the shadow that hides her face. "Of course, now, step back please." She said, suddenly very serious.

Orin was the one who shows her nervousness. "Satori-sama… what is going on?" she asked her master, worried that something might happen. Satori's hand silenced her, she saw her master motioning her to step back.

"Do it, Yukari." Satori said with a firm tone.

The woman in purple giggled, opening a fan with her other hand. "Sure thing, please, close your eyes when it gets bright." She snapped her fingers, opening a gap in the air. The gap slowly opened, revealing a bright purple light seeping through like air, it got bright, everyone was forced to cover their eyes due to it being so bright. The only one who did not cover her eyes is Satori, she kept her eyes focused on the gap even if she can't see anything but purple.

Slowly, as if visibly, the light began to die down. The brightness disappears, showing another figure. The light clears, and the figure stepped forward from the blinding essence. The palace residents' eyes widen, sans for Satori who is standing normally, but with a smile on her face. Their eyes landed on a smile, a mane of wild golden hair, and three familiar whisker marks. And how could they miss the charming and electric blue eyes that seemed to be able to captivate a woman in a single glance.

"Naruto Uzumaki's back peeps!"

"Bro!"

"Onii-san!"

"Menma!"

The three tackles the man to the ground, laughing while crying tears of joy. Yukari left, seeing that she doesn't want to ruin the family moment. She saw a Satori giving her a look saying thanks, she smiled, before opening her own gap and stepping in. Laughter and cheers of happiness lingers the forest, the wind carrying the atmosphere as fast as it can.

As the three girls are busy with the blonde, Satori watched from the sidelines with a wistful expression on her face. She failed to notice a presence behind her. "Yo."

"N-Naruto?!" she squeaked when another blonde appeared from the bushes behind her. She looked back to the blonde that is with the other three girls and the blonde that is in front of her. Realization hits her. She remembers that Naruto can make clones of himself, but she's unable to distinguish between which one is which. "A-Are you…?"

Her answer is a full body hug, enveloped by the man's arm, she couldn't do a thing. She stood frozen in his arms, not moving. But she then returns his embrace, hugging him in the neck, her head resting on his shoulders. Naruto smiled, whispering in her ear. "Yes, I'm the real one… I said it didn't I? My relationship for you is… special."

"Yes… yes it is." Satori wiped the tears on her face, smiling in happiness.

Today is the most special day in her life

* * *

**A/N: That's it! It's shorter than Youmu's arc, since I'm in a really piss mood. Why? I lost my fucking phone! My 32 gigs Iphone 5, lost stolen in a public transport! Word of advice, never sleep in public transportations, you'll regret it.**

**Anyway, how's this chapter? I know that there isn't much romance in it, since I did not write how Naruto and Satori got together in the first place. Then again, if one is truly in love, even words is not enough to express their feelings. I know that it is rushed, but the intro alone is long and I add more humor. I don't know if it's funny thought. Ayway…I'll be working on the next chapter when I can, since it's almost the end of a long weekend. Please, review, favorite or follow! Tell your friends!**

**Have a good day/night!**


End file.
